There are several reasons why your career may fail. Many people always want to measure themselves with prominent figures like Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Aliko Dangote and even wish to attain the height they’ve reached.
The fantasy about these critical questions is typical because they have reached a significant peak in their career path.
However, here is where the big question comes in. Can we be like these important figures or even do things they have done in life?
People are curious about how they became successful, the reasons behind their success, and how they can attain the heights they’ve achieved. Once these have been sorted out, ensure you follow these tips and use them judiciously.
But in this article, we won’t talk about these critical people but will instead focus more on things you do that may not allow you to be successful like these prominent people. Please look closely at everything said here and try to avoid them.
Below are the top 20 reasons you may not reach your career’s peak. Let’s run through a brief breakdown before we explain them in detail:
Let’s now go into more detail. The next part of this article will expose you more to what each point means and how you can find your way around them.
1. Procrastination Syndrome
In a hypothetical world, procrastination rarely benefits anyone but rather does more harm than good.
The procrastination syndrome is one of the main reasons you may fail in your career. Many people are used to this syndrome by saying, “I’ll do it later.”
You sit all day having a lot of things to cover, and you’re comfortable with doing anything and keep postponing it. You are so cool with waiting for things you should do once and for all. If you’re among these categories of people, then you should turn a new leaf. The habit is one of the most disastrous on Earth, as it has destroyed many people’s careers.
As much as I’m concerned, procrastination isn’t something you can deal with at once, it’s a habit you have to let go of day by day, and before you know it, you’re already out of it. Procrastination syndrome is worth writing a page on because it takes time.
However, if you’re willing to let go of this habit, the tips listed below will significantly help. Don’t just read them. Apply them to your day-to-day life, and you’ll see the quantum leap in achieving your career.
How to Tackle Procrastination:
- Develop the habit of using a calendar to set your events. It will help you in planning your day better.
- Your alarm can also be a very instrumental tool. Designate time for things you do daily. It will help you know how to maximize your time.
- Get a whiteboard in your room and spend on things you should do daily. By seeing your to-do list, you get a boost to cover most, if not all, of what you’ve on the list.
- Exercise can also be a great tool. Exercise every morning before you start working on your plan for the day.
- Stay off caffeine. Many people use it to keep themselves awake, but I’m telling you now that it does you more harm than good and can kill your morale as time passes.
2. Too Much Time on Social Media
Social media has a strong potential for business possibilities and a propensity for disseminating useful information. However, if you are not wise, the same social media can cause a lot of damage to you.
When you compare the percentage of people that benefit from social media and those that don’t, you’ll notice that only a few people gain something from it. The fact is something that has killed the morale of a lot of people with great ambition and career paths.
They want their career path to be successful while away most of their time on social media. It starts with the little 5 mins spent, and before you know it, you’ve wasted an hour.
Some people profit from social media, but the great question is, do you also benefit from it?
Another way you can tell if you waste your time on social media is to answer this question. Do you find yourself chatting, liking, and subscribing to many things every day for 12 hours? If so, then you should turn a new leaf from the habit.
If you keep up with the habit of wasting half of your day on your social media, you’ll realize that you will end up not getting to the Apex of your career, and not only that may end up abandoning people you see daily for fake friends on social media.
Follow the tips below to avoid wasting ’12 hours on social media habits.
Notable Tips:
- Time yourself, so you spend little time on social media. Timing is essential as it helps you get back on track and know if you need to be more productive for the day.
- Take courses on digital skills. Instead of wasting time on social media, you’ll convert that energy into money, which is better.
- Spend more time on content that will educate you and enhance your growth than entertaining ones.
3. Over-Feeding
As much as this aspect may sound funny, it’s a fun fact that has hindered many people and shattered their growth. Some people have too much love for food and eat like a glutton.
Imagine spending more than half of your earnings on food. Then how much do you have left for miscellaneous and even savings?
For example, if you earn $2,000 per month and spend up to $1,200 or more on food every month, then I must let you know that it is a terrible love for food.
You need to work on your excellent expenditure and save a little more to end up with anything reasonable. Reducing your good high budget will make you save more, and by doing that, you are prepared for the unknown.
Remember that apart from food, there are other areas you spend on monthly, like your electricity bills, water bills, transportation, education, etc. Tell me, if you’ve spent more than half of your earnings on food, how will you compensate for the other expenses?
Check out the tips below and get it right
Notable Tips:
- Have a monthly food plan. Discipline yourself and make sure you stay within the budget every month.
- Ensure that you don’t spend more than 40% of your monthly earnings on food every month.
- Only go to expensive restaurants if your budget is high.
- Three days a meal is the best. Why must you eat 5 to 6 times daily?
4. Always Interested In Luxury
Here is another habit you should eliminate if you want your career to be successful. Luxury things are okay, but always wanting them when you don’t need them or can’t afford them is what you should get rid of.
For instance, you always want to get the new version when you are not a videographer or photographer who needs a phone with upgraded camera features. Even if you’re into photography or videography, you need an upgraded Camera, not the latest iPhone in town.
There’s no need for you to switch from one phone to another just because you like the features of the iPhone, and it depicts luxury.
This is what happens to luxury things like car take, for instance. Instead of getting another less expensive variant, you won’t just because you always want luxury things.
What happens to getting luxury things sometimes is that you get them just because you like them when you don’t even need them.
I don’t use my Samsung Galaxy watch, which I purchased for under $200. I bought it because I wanted it, not because I needed it, so I left it at home.
Before launching into the, “you’re not a tech person” defense. I enjoy collecting technological things, but the reality is that most of them are rarely used.
I rarely use devices besides my laptop and phone for my type of work, but I continue to purchase these items. So why? It is due to the love for luxury things, and if you don’t stop this act, you’ll find yourself buying things you want that you don’t need.
Notable Tips;
- Buy what you need, not what you want. You may want something and not need them, so learn the difference.
- Reduce your use of credit cards. Seriously, reduce it, and you’ll see how helpful it is.
- Have a limit and stick to it by avoiding unnecessary purchases. Be disciplined, and don’t go beyond this limit.
- Use your savings only when extremely necessary. Savings are meant to cover up for unforeseen circumstances, so use them only when there is an important thing to cover up for.
5. Looking Forward To Getting A Lot From The Education
Expecting too much from education is one of the reasons your career may fail. This is because education is one of many keys to success. It will only give you an edge and enhance your decision about things.
Achieving insight is a better way to describe the value of education.
Don’t get me wrong. I did not say education is useless but that it is not the only key to success. You gain access to a particular collection of organized knowledge through education. Then, this knowledge might be put to other uses.
But don’t have unrealistic expectations, believing you’ll become the next Bill Gates a few years after receiving an education.
It requires hard work, determination, and discipline before you can be like any of the figures explained at this article’s beginning. These are some of the additional performance factors that aid education. Education is just a way to teach you the way to go.
Now, let’s get to the tips.
Notable Tips:
- Get a good education. Don’t be deceived by the famous saying, “Education Na Scam.” Education is never a scam. As said earlier, it opens your mind to things and gives you an edge over others.
- With education, have a skill.
- Anytime you study, please only do it with the notice of writing an exam and just passing. Always read to gain knowledge and enlarge your scope. You’ll later find out that the inside is more valuable than the certificate.
- Read up on practical training. Some courses are practically useless after graduation, so study a lucrative system.
- Consider reading computer-related courses. They are typically more practical.
6. Neglecting Mentorship
Mentorship is one of the ways you can improve your career path. A mentor’s job is to support your personal development and help you become the best version of yourself which might entail assisting you in achieving your professional or domestic objectives, exposing you to fresh perspectives, pressing your limiting beliefs, imparting priceless life lessons, and much more.
However, this generation love being independent and don’t even see the need for mentorship. It would help if you remembered that in your chosen career path, some people who are successful today have gone ahead of you. You can get close to them and learn from them.
It’s not easy to get tips on career paths anywhere, so you should have someone that you can always talk to every time. I have a mentor I closely walk with that has helped me during my career, so get yourself a mentor!
Refraining from making people feel like getting a mentor is archaic, so pay attention to mentorship.
Below are tips that can aid your mentorship
Notable Tips:
- Get a mentor who is successful in your field
- Always listen to advice. Your mentor knows what’s best for you, so act on anything said.
- Follow mentors who make money legally, not those that gather money through dubious or illegal means.
7. Staying Idle Often
We all know the famous saying, “An idle man is the devil’s workshop. The expression is very accurate, so you should find something to do.
Usually, a lack of desire to get up and do something for the day can be attributed to boredom, heartbreaks, and several other factors.
As crucial as it is for your emotional health, you must also realize that it depends on the success of your job path.
When idle for an extended period, you waste precious time doing nothing.
The time you waste sitting around could be better spent reading a book, writing something, or watching your beloved TV program, which makes you more productive.
Notable Tips:
- Try to keep yourself occupied.
- During your leisure time, read a book. Books will open your eyes to many secrets that will make your career successful.
- When you’re feeling too depressed to do anything, go for a walk; you should be alright after that.
- Plan for the following day during your leisure time.
- Activate your freelance account. It will enable you to spend your leisure time differently.
8. Having Too Much Passion For The Game
The insatiable love for the game is standard among male counterparts. This is one of the things that is affecting a lot of youth, primarily males. They felt better and more relaxed, spending most of their time gaming rather than doing so productively.
Some of them will feel uncomfortable if they play games daily. And even while playing, they continually play and are unsatisfied.
I cannot say that playing games is time-wasting and useless since some people make a living by just playing games. These gamers work extremely hard to get good content to showcase to their audience.
Also, some of these gamers are very good at video game editing. They record excellent videos on different sites for which they get paid.
Statistica announced that there were more than 547 thousand gaming-related YouTube accounts. Some of these channels earn less to qualify as majors, but the majority do.
Playscounter.com estimates that over 400 million people have played just PubG on smartphones. Most of these gamers play for comparison, and they compete with their friends to see who’s better at it.
You can compare the number of gaming channels and players to see how many of them are likely to earn a living from gaming.
The statistics above show you that most gamers don’t make money playing while just a few do and can depict that most people burn their time on gaming. Come to think of it, how can you make your career success that way?
Notable Tips:
- If you play games every time, make sure that you Earn a living from it, and if you don’t earn, reduce the amount of energy and time you channel into gaming.
- Work out a schedule and include gaming in it.
- Reduce the time you spend on games. Only play games for a short time. Ensure you don’t spend more than 2 hours on the game daily, and don’t play games for more than 1 hour 30 minutes at a stretch.
- If you still love gaming and can’t do away with it. Research how you can earn from a gaming channel
9. Neglecting Books
Many times, reading books, especially non-academic books, is what some people need help doing.
Books are teaching tools that disperse the author’s wealth of knowledge. Just by reading a book, you can practically know who the author is and learn from their success story; however, to some, readers have a way of frightening off almost the entire population.
Reading is a difficult task that is seriously undervalued, particularly at present.
There is a famous saying: “if you want to hide information from a fool, write in a book. The expression is very true. One thing that is common to wise people is a book. They know the importance of reading books and invest more in them. Only fools run away from the book because they feel it is boring.
To cut it short, many successful people have their stories written down, and you can only access these secrets if you read books.
How can I go about reading if I find it boring to read at all times? Worry no more! Check out the tips below.
Notable Tips:
- Now that you know the importance of books, you must develop a reading culture as it is very compulsory.
- Get audiobooks if you’re always busy and rarely get time for reading. They are a faster way of reading.
- Google calendar is also helpful. Utilize it, learn to plan your day with it, and ensure you include book reading.
10. Too Much Interest In Clubbing
Clubbing excessively has more harm than good. You only have a reason to always be in the club if you’re the owner or have business meetings.
Some people go clubbing to ease stress; however, remember that you can spend the money you should use for another valuable thing at the club.
Also, you won’t only spend all your money, but you can also get exposed to different health hazards. For example, in the new Covid 19 pandemic, you must protect yourself by avoiding overcrowding or public places.
Let me not even talk about different habits you can emulate while clubbing, like excessive drinking, which can endanger their lives if they drive.
Notable Tips:
- Find another interest
- If you know you can’t do without clubbing, have a budget for clubbing. Your budget will guide your sending and ensure that you stick to it.
- Ensure you reduce the number of times you visit the club monthly. You can channel the time and energy you spend clubbing into something productive. If you go clubbing weekly, for example, reduce it to 2 times per month.
- Don’t stay in the club till daybreak. You should use your night for something more creative or rest.
11. Meme Love Syndrome
Meme is another thing we all should be careful about. A lot of people of us should be cautious with this aspect. Some people spend more time on social media hunting for memes.
I understand that memes are great and lovely, and there’s no reason for you not to love them. Memes enable you to see the humorous side of a stressful situation.
Even at that, you need to be very careful, so you will only spend up to 60% of your time daily on it and draw a line if there’s a need.
Tips:
- Develop habits that are more beneficial and engage in them regularly. Memes are mainly used due to the sense of humor it brings.
- You can earn from them. Think of something creative and convert your time for the fun to creating memes.
- Once you have created your memes, create a fan page and post it more often.
12. You are Lazy
Laziness is another big reason your career may fail. You are lazy means having no motivation to perform. You are considered lazy if you occasionally refuse to get up and do the necessary job despite being motivated. You’re surrounded by great people who want to see you grow, and still, you don’t feel like
It is essential to note that a lot of effort is required from your end to make an online business successful, despite what online marketers may claim about working from home and how little work you need to do.
You may think that online jobs are straightforward because they require little effort and just a laptop, but don’t be surprised when you start an online career and realize the reality. Working online requires hard work, and it’s a big lie that online jobs are meant for lazy people.
Even the prominent figures mentioned earlier still put a lot of hard work into their career despite the height they’ve attained.
Elon Musk still talks about how hard he has worked, and someone like you still feels comfortable doing nothing!
Laziness is a bad habit you should eliminate if you also want to get to the Apex of your career and remain relevant.
Notable Tips:
- Exercise regularly. One of the ways you can build motivation is through exercise, especially warm-ups.
- Look for something that will compel you to work hard work? Remember how Elon Musk still works hard at this stage despite how wealthy he is. I am sure you won’t want to remain poor, will you?
13. Having a Short-lived Focus
Here is another problem affecting young people. Once they try something for the first time, they assume it’s too hard or not something that can be done. They then move from one career to another and keep failing.
You must stay focused on a career and stand the test of time. You must learn to stay focused and stay on one thing to succeed in your career.
Notable Tips:
- Try out something new but don’t switch often
- Channel your energy into what you do and give it your all.
- Ensure you have a vision and follow through to the end.
- Discover more ways to develop your proposed career.
14. Lots of Financial Restrictions
Money is significant in business. Many small-scale start-ups fail for various reasons, including a need for more funding. Money will only allow you to do a lot of activities if you have it.
People aspire to have a certain social standing. How can you offer something elegant when you don’t have the money to support it?
In short, having limited resources can limit your growth. This is not specific to a career, as it applies virtually to every job.
Notable Tips:
- You can get money through a partnership. Learn to partner with people who are above you in every aspect.
- Network with people. There are lots of things you get when you connect with people. Networking can give you what money will not show.
15. You Lack Determination For Progress
Your drive is that phenomenon that, in most cases, you can’t explain, but that ultimately keeps you from giving up.
Everyone is driven by one thing or the other. It might be your goal, the result of your work, or even a specific individual.
It doesn’t matter what motivates you. What counts most is your motivation to get up in the morning and address your situation.
There is a greater likelihood of achievement if you are highly motivated. However, there is a lesser likelihood of success if you lack motivation. Lack of determination is one of the reasons your career may fail.
In essence, this is how everything operates.
Notable Tips:
- Identify your drive and fuel it.
- Don’t attach your drive to another person. This is not advisable, and what happens if the person is busy or unavailable to drive you?
- You can see a therapist. Seeing a therapist will help as they will guide you on what to do.
16. Your Family Background Comes into Play
A famous saying is that ‘your background should not be the reason your back should be on the ground.’ A lot of successful people today do not have a family with influence. However, this saying is correct to some extent. Your family background plays a significant role in your life and can limit you if you must be more careful.
Many are not born with silver spoons and end up not getting to the Apex of their career. Their parents have no financial support, which has affected their career path. For example, if you have a passion for studying medicine, a lack of proper finances can hinder you and may result in settling for lesser courses.
Notable Tips:
- Endeavor to make a clear difference. Only allow your children and up with the same background as you if your family is well to do with.
- Be optimistic. It helps a lot.
17. You have the Quitting Mentality
Starting a business may be more challenging than people make it look. You should know that it can be complex and highly demanding and can end up experiencing a string of mistakes before you can withstand the test of time.
You might experience moments during these efforts at success where you tell yourself, “This is just impossible.” After that, consider quitting.
Quitting should be off your bucket list. What would happen to your job or business if you left?
Notable Tips:
- You fail once you stop trying, so don’t try, no matter the failure.
- Define your goal and find something that motivates you.
- Don’t forget God’s factor. You must pray to God for direction if you’re a religious person.
18. Starting a Career Without Proper Research
Ideally, you do proper research before starting any career. Making the appropriate queries before entering a particular line of business shouldn’t even be a topic for discussion. You have to do it if you want to succeed at what you do.
Most people assume they can succeed in a specific field of business because they see their friends growing in it.
They neglect that each industry and profession has its ethics and secrets. You need to know these tricks to avoid being a dismal failure.
Notable Tips:
- Study and research a career before you start it.
- Please don’t start a job based on your personal feeling about it.
19. Always Comparing Yourself with Others
Many people are still at the stage they are because they compare themselves to their mates. They see their friends doing things and succeeding and want to jump at it.
Most people cannot succeed in their careers because they feel their friends are more successful than them.
Notable Tips:
- Be contended. Don’t compare yourself with your friends but be satisfied with what you have.
- Don’t use your friend’s success as a yardstick for your success. Just work at your own pace and ensure you’re growing.
20. What are your Religious Views?
There are some things that you need to work on by yourself. They’re the reason God gave you a brain. It’s simple for you to think! If you spend more time depending on your God to assist you with tasks you can complete independently, you risk living a life of stagnation.
Don’t get me wrong, the religious life is lovely. In other words, it provides meaning to life and humanity. It is one of the factors that motivates many people to fight for their right to survive.
Notable Tips:
- Take steps to do some things.
- Don’t make your judgment of things based on religious views.
Final Thoughts
The reasons your career may fail have been discussed. Now that you know them, ensure you follow closely and utilize the steps listed in this article as they are practicable.
Stay cool!