Do you remember a time when an opportunity opened up and you feel that you really like the job, believe that you can do it but do not have the nerve to try? You let it pass and then wonder later what would have happened had you grab the opportunity. In order not to feel bad, you sour-grape by telling yourself you made the right decision, you would have failed anyway.
What I just mentioned is a form of self- imposed limitation that hinders us from taking a risk in making a career decision. Our fear of failure can limit us and hinder us from achieving full potential. Here are some of the other self- imposed limitations that we should watch out for:
Negative Emotions
Sadness, anger, bitterness, self pity, anxiety and fear are just some examples of negative emotions that can manifest as we do our work. These negative emotions cause stress that lead to poor performance and you know how poor performance affect your career adversely.
Victim Mentality
Some people find it more convenient to blame others for their failures than to take the necessary actions. Some say they are never given a break, while others say they do not get the help that they need in order to succeed in their work. This is what I always share with people. Take responsibility for your own actions, and more importantly, take more responsibility for your own career growth. A break or opportunity opens up to those who seek it. Those who seek it do not ask for it, they show that they are ready for it. Self-driven people do not wait for the company to train them, they train themselves. They buy good books about their jobs, search the web for new methodologies or benchmark with successful peers.
Conflicts with others
Having poor relationship with your co-workers is a sign of your inability to adjust to the various personalities in the workplace. You can be branded as a trouble maker and a difficult person to work with. If this sticks as your reputation, people will refuse to work with you and will even go to the extent of “getting even.”
Bad Habits
These are too many to count. Laziness however, tops the list. Carelessness and inattention to details follows very closely. These are usually caused by the person’s lack of interest in the job. My advice for people who hate their jobs is always, QUIT! Find the job that you like and show that you like it. Well, some people can be plain lazy and that will not change even if they change jobs.
Inability to trust others
Lack of trust in others can hinder you from communicating with them, fixing conflicts with them and collaborating with them. It helps to help people help you trust them, know what I mean? This works by giving people a chance to earn your trust.
Lack of Commitment
People who see their situation at work as something temporary do not normally give their best. They are waiting for the next train to bring them to the place they really want to be. The problem is, sometimes the train doesn't come or take longer than expected but they continue to work with certain level of tentativeness. They could have succeeded in this one had they given their full commitment. I've always seen signing a contract of employment as a commitment to do your best in that job. If you fail to satisfy, you fail to serve. If you fail to serve, you fail to please, if you fail to please, you fail to grow career-wise.
Lack of Direction.
People who float around waiting for fate to bring them to their destiny are the people who take the longest to get there. They do what needs to get done and get by on a day to day basis. They are the opposite of people who are more deliberate in their attempts to achieve their goal. People who have personal career vision and create a road map to get there work hard because they are inspired by their own vision.
These self imposed limitations are too many to say that at one point or another, we are not guilty of showing them. What is important is that now that we know, we need to recognize them and veer from them by embracing the right work and career attitude.
Great post Ed. I have talked a lot about this in my blogs too. This is why my invitation to my readers is to renew their way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteWe need to examine our values, the ones we practice, because they bring us the results that we get. To change the result, we must change our action. To change our action we must change our way of thinking - values. Limiting beliefs or values will prevent us from realizing our dreams.
Thank you for sharing your brain with us.