The definition of success varies for many people, but however you define success for your life, it is likely to be proven by how you handle many of these five areas…

1. Procrastination

This is probably my most challenging area, especially as a writer. When you have a gift/talent, it’s easy to convince yourself that you can always get it done later because you are only relying on your gift/talent and not on other people to get the job done. The problem with procrastination is that it steals your full engagement and energy you could be giving to the things that don’t come naturally. The “I’ll do it later” routine is a dangerous game to play, mostly because you end up being the one who never does what they could always do later. The next time you think about procrastinating, ask yourself – what does tomorrow have that today doesn’t?

2. Fear

There are two kinds of fear. The first is fear that you won’t succeed. This type of fear can be resolved by humility and understanding that failure is inevitable and necessary to succeed. The second type of fear is a fear that you will succeed. “What if I can’t live up to what others think of me?”. “What if I let people down?”. These are natural thoughts, but they shouldn’t stop you from trying your best. Remember that however scared you may be, there are people waiting on your genius and you owe it to them to not give up.

3. Doubt

There is ability and then there is the belief in your ability. The reason most people don’t succeed is that they don’t really believe they can do it. This battle is totally fought in the mind, much like all the others listed here. No one can teach you how to stop doubting yourself. You must learn that all on your own. Doubt is a distraction. It toils with the mind, keeping it busy, too busy to make progress. The best way to overcome doubt and believe you actually have the ability to do it. Start doing it, and keep starting until you actually finish.

4. Negative influencers in your life

I give my new clients a “check your circle” exercise as homework after our first session. I ask them to write down the names of those who are most influential in their lives and rate them on negative or positive influences. It is important to know how you are being influenced by those you trust. Before any real progress can be made, you have to know and understand more about who you are allowing to influence you, because they could be the very people in the way of your success.

5. The No-Plan Plan

Ah yes! The no-plan, plan. Don’t end up as one of those people walking around saying what you’re about to do without putting a plan in place to do it. What has worked best for my clients is having them put a date on their goals. Attaching a completion date is step one. Step two is telling your circle of influence about your completion date. Don’t keep the date to yourself, because if you do, it will be too easy to change it when you get discouraged or procrastinate. Once you tell your circle, it will be much harder for you to back out.

Don’t let this year become another year where you should’ve done something you had time to do but never did.