Three failure diseases

Success leaves clues. So does failure.

It is amazing to me how many folks I meet believe success is luck or happens by accident. In my experience, this is not the case. Look at the folks in your arena who are superstars.

The common threads that these men and women possess enable them to step away from the masses and accomplish something great. Work ethic, definiteness of purpose and a positive attitude are always at the top of the list for these peak performers.

What we often overlook, are two common traits that keep people average — procrastination and “excusitis”. These two failure diseases, popularized in the classic book, The Magic of Thinking Big, have foiled well-intentioned people like the sirens of Ulysses.

Procrastination has long been an enemy of success.

It’s easy to trick ourselves into believing there is an endless amount of time when no one tells us when to clock in and clock out. Procrastination is the little voice inside our head whispering “You can do it later."

Symptoms:

• Most open browser windows have nothing to do with a current project.
• Must have all the ducks in a row before beginning work. Details get in the way of the overall goal
• Days go by without getting priority tasks accomplished.

Treatment:

• Focus on being productive not being busy. Pick small achievable goals to accomplish.
• Write down your goals and keep keep them visible. This creates a sense of urgency.
• Minimize "time thieves." These are the social media platforms of the day (the web in general) that sap our time. Consider using tools like Rescue Time to see where your time goes.

The second failure disease is Excusitis.

Successful people have a different perspective on excuses. They use them as motivation to win instead of cause to lose. A person with excusitis will find circumstances as the "why" they cannot succeed instead of the reason to (succeed). Common excuses used are economics, weather, government, intelligence, money, and background.

Symptoms:

• Living with victim mentality, believing the world is out to get you.
• Blaming everything on others.
• Believing luck is the author of success.

Treatments:

• Don't compare your weaknesses with others' strengths.
• Don't pass the buck. Take personal responsibility.
• Change your perspective on your circumstances. Turn the excuses into reasons.

These remedies will cure the toughest failure diseases. The even better news, is you can’t overdose. Enjoy!