If you’re looking for success, and I know you are, these nine horrible success myths will hold you back.
In this game called life, knowing what NOT to do is often the difference in achieving your goals and dreams.
Let’s debunk success myths that are like a thief in the night robbing you of your sweet success.
In my decades of being in-the-trenches, I’ve been on both sides of the coin.
I’ve been a brilliant success. And I’ve been an all out ‘failure.’
What made the difference, you ask?
That, my dear reader, is what you’re about to read.
Before we get going, let’s get one thing out of the way. Who you listen to and what you do is important.
It’s the blind leading the blind when the following advice from people who have never made it.
Don’t do it.
Question everything.
Starting with me
Who am I to tell you what to do and not do?
Great question.
I started my first company with no experience, money, or team. But despite the odds, I build an eight figure business with off-the-chart profits.
I’ve already done the heavy lifting for you.
On the flip side, I started my second company and was a spectacular seven figure failure.
You can read about it here and here.
I forgot what I learned and fell into the success myths I’m about to reveal.
Ready to bust out, make a difference, and claim your sweet success?
Great!
Let’s do it.
Download my Cheat Sheet on 9 Horrible Success Myths You Need To Stop Believing Right Now
Success Myths Holding You Back: Follow Your Passion
When it comes to success myths, following your passion is at the top of the list.
You’re told to find your passion and turn it into a business.
Popular media splatters stories about the founders of Facebook, Google, and Virgin.
You’re also told to follow your passion, and you’ll become a billionaire.
Right?
Wrong.
What’s missing the rest of the formula:
Find a massive problem you’re passionate about and solve it.
But you need to ensure the problem affects enough people who are willing to pay for the solution.
Read all about it here.
And that’s only the beginning. Act as cockroach startups do, and now you’re well on your way.
My first company was a massive success because of the Passion Success Intersection™.
My passion for helping people, education, and technology morphed into an eLearning company.
Working professionals could now earn graduate degrees from top ranked schools. From the boardroom to your kitchen table, all you needed was a computer and the Internet.
The schools love it because they stuck to doing what they do best. Graduate student.
My company did the rest. Enrolling students to keeping students in the seats, to bank rolling the programs.
Everybody won, and only after the fact did I profit.
Big time.
And all from channeling my passion into a problem I loved solving.
Know this, and know this well. When it comes to success myths, passion alone isn’t enough.
Success Myths Holding You Back: Perfectionists Are Successful
Think you have to be a perfectionist to be successful?
Here’s yet another of many success myths that are wrong.
Want to be a dreamer and fail? Be a perfectionist.
Hear me and hear me well. Your new motto is ‘done is better than perfect.’
All day. Every day.
Why?
Read all about it here
Successful people, know this when it comes to perfection:
- Customers either don’t care or won’t notice.
- You don’t exist if you don’t produce.
- Momentum. Doers have momentum from being in the market and win. Perfectionists aren’t in the market, have no momentum, and lose. Every time.
- Mind Set. Dreamers chase after perfection and nothing gets done. Action trains your mind. For a dreamer, getting things done today becomes ‘one day.’ But ‘one day’ doesn’t exist.
- Reputation. Your actions, not your words say it all.
- Perfection Is An Illusion And Doesn’t Exist.
- It’s A Numbers Game. You’ll never know if something is successful until you’re in the market. The more times you’re in the market, the higher your chance of success. Chasing after perfection eliminates this necessary process. And worst of all, your competition will demolish you.
- Practice Makes Perfect.
- Time Waits For Nobody. You’re either in the market or not. Whether you’re a pauper or a billionaire, you have 1,440 minutes a day. Make each minute count.
Success Myths Holding You Back: It Can Wait Until Tomorrow
Waiting until tomorrow is yet one of the nine success myths you must stop doing now.
Leave it to the Spaniards to figure this one out. The Spanish word for ‘tomorrow’ is ‘mañana’ which means:
tomorrow; in the (indefinite) future
Let’s try something.
Open up your calendar and look for the day called ‘tomorrow.’
Did you find it?
Of course not.
Tomorrow doesn’t exist.
And neither will your success if you believe things can wait until tomorrow.
Tomorrow takes many forms like:
- I’m tired and deserve a break
- Checking your Facebook/Twitter/Instagram
- Believing you have lots of time
Take a deep dive on eliminating distractions and read this.
In my eLearning company, I was writing up a Request For Proposal (RFP).
Instead of focusing and finishing the RFP I put things off.
My ten-minute break became an hour. Many times over.
A few ‘tomorrows’ came and went, and it was a scramble to finish the RFP which was due the next day.
I dashed to the courier drop off depot and made the cut off with a few minutes to spare.
All was great until I learned that the package arrived two days later. I missed the deadline.
The courier company blamed it on the snowstorm that halted flights.
Snow storm or no storm, the RFP wasn’t accepted.
And my ‘tomorrow’ cost me millions of dollars on a contract that had my name written all over it.
Success Myths Holding You Back: Focus On Your Weakness
When it comes to success myths, focusing on your weakness is wrong. All wrong.
[tweet_box design=”default” url=”http://jef.tips/sm16″ float=”none”]Want success? Focus on your strengths. Ignore your weaknesses. Prosper and Succeed.[/tweet_box]
So called conventional wisdom tells you to forget your strengths. Instead, you’re told to focus on your weaknesses and improve them.
We all do it.
Most parents, as an example, tell their kids to get better grades in the weaker subjects.
On paper it makes sense.
But it doesn’t work.
Think about it.
Suppose you excel in marketing but are terrible in math.
Listening to success myths like focusing on your weakness, has you focus on improving in math.
OK. So now you go from terrible to bad.
But what if, instead, you focused on marketing and you went from great to stellar?
You’re happier, motivated, and getting results.
Best selling author Marcus Buckingham agrees. Buckingham should know.
Buckingham is the world’s expert on the importance of focusing on your strengths.
Before going forward, do yourself a favor and read Buckingham’s latest book StandOut 2.0.
Buckingham proves time-and-time-again that success and happiness come from focusing on your strengths.
There’s no room for the success myth that has you focus on your weakness.
Hear Buckingham brilliance and click on the picture below to watch the clip.
Success myths hold you back. Don’t let the myth of focusing on your weakness rob you of your success.
Download my Cheat Sheet on 9 Horrible Success Myths You Need To Stop Believing Right Now
Success Myths Holding You Back: I’ll Be Successful And Happy When …
Success myths rob you of happiness, accomplishment, and achievement.
Banish the thought ‘I’ll be successful when…’
You know, I’ll be successful and happy when I’m a millionaire/win the lotto/buy that house.
This list is as endless as all the reasons of why you’ll rob yourself of success and happiness.
When I launched my first eLearning company, I believed this success myth. Every word of it.
I believed that I would be happy and successful when I reached 1,000 enrollments.
And I did.
As I approached my goal, I told myself that I would be happy and successful when I reached 10,000 enrollments.
And I did.
Next up was 100,000 enrollments.
Starting to see a pattern?
This success myth robbed me of feeling successful, happy, and fulfilled.
I soon realized that the reward is the journey.
You can read all about the journey here.
The “I’ll be happy when” success myth is a road to nowhere.
Here’s the thing. All the money and success in the world will not make you happy.
Will your life be easier?
You better believe it.
That said, will you still have doubts, fears, bad days, and sleepless nights?
You bet you will.
Success myths rob you of happiness and success.
Enjoy your sweet success right now, exactly where you are, knowing that your journey is the reward.
Everything else is a distant second place.
Success Myths Holding You Back: You Should Never Give Up
Believing you should never give up is right up there with success myths that hold you back.
This success myth is everywhere. How many times have you heard Vince Lombardi’s quote:
Winners never quit and quitters never win.
Am I saying Vince Lombardi, considered to be the greatest football coach, is wrong?
Yes.
Seth Godin agrees and counters with:
Bad advice. Winners quit all the time. They just quit the right stuff at the right time.
Godin writes all about when to quit in his book The Dip.
[tweet_dis url=”http://jef.tips/sm16″]Winners are winners because they know what to quit and when to quit it.[/tweet_dis]
On your journey to become a winner, realize you have limited time, money, and energy.
Knowing what to quit at the right time is key to your success.
Case in point was my second company. You know, the one that was a seven figure company. Seven figures of losses.
Success myths play games with your mind.
The success myth of never quitting kept me in the game. The game of losing millions of dollars.
And there was no need.
None.
When it comes to success myths, know that the success myth that successful people never quit is wrong.
In every way.
All day. Every day.
Success Myths Holding You Back: Your A Failure If You Fail
How sad it is that success myths have you believe and do the opposite of what you should do for sweet success.
The success myth that you’re a failure if you fail is one example.
Hear me and hear me well.
[tweet_dis url=”http://jef.tips/sm16″]If you plan to be successful, your new best friend is failure.[/tweet_dis]
What do the founders of Amazon, Apple, PayPal, LinkedIn, and Twitter have in common?
Every one of these founders failed. Big time.
Success came later. In some cases, much later.
Sujan Patel writes a great article on how failure is a stepping stone for future success.
Patel is right on the mark.
My biggest wins came right after my biggest so called failures.
[tweet_box design=”default” url=”http://jef.tips/sm16″ float=”none”]Massive failure is the training ground for massive success.[/tweet_box]
The truth is I wasn’t ready for my future success until I experienced many massive failures.
Unraveling Success Myths About Failure
Failure is not only your best friend, but it’s also your best teacher.
In this article, read how you can transform failure into success with these ten questions:
- How did this happen?
- Looking back, what could I change that would have led to a better outcome?
- Is there anything I can do right now to turn the situation around?
- Who can I turn to for an outsider’s perspective on my failure?
- What assumptions did I make and were they right?
- When could I have changed to avoid failure?
- If I could do it all over again, what would I do and not do?
- What have I learned from this situation?
- Going forward, how will I prevent this failure from happening again?
- Who can help identify blind spots in my thinking, assumptions, and behavior? Select someone who knows you well.
Looking for the silver lining in success myths is knowing that you should do the opposite.
The success myth that tells you you’re a failure if you fail is nothing but a myth.
Indeed, it’s from your failures that arise your biggest success.
And you can take that to the bank.
Success Myths Holding You Back: Successful People Have No Fears
The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. –Nelson Mandela
Success myths tell you many things that are not true. Ever.
The success myth that says successful people have no fears is a myth itself!
Best selling author and thought leader Amy Morin is an expert on the habits of successful people.
Morin writes an excellent article about the top five fears successful people face:
- Failure
- Rejection
- Not pleasing everyone
- Change
- Success
While you’re at it, pick up a copy of Morin’s book, 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. (You’ll thank me later).
Morin is right on the money. I should know.
I started my business with no experience, money or team.
My little company morphed into a half unicorn.
So, you ask, did I lose my fear along the way?
Not a chance. If anything, I had more fears.
Success myths, my dear reader, are exactly that. Myths.
Fear is as important to success as failure.
[tweet_dis url=”http://jef.tips/sm16″]Let your fears become your fuel for success.[/tweet_dis]
You can read about it here and here.
Successful entrepreneurs know this. And so should you.
Success myths rob you of your sweet success. Banish this success myth. Forever.
[tweet_dis url=”http://jef.tips/sm16″]A successful person embraces fear and win. Fools have no fears and lose.[/tweet_dis]
Success Myths Holding You Back: You Need Lots Of Money To Launch A Business
With the rise of social media, the popularity of success myths has increased.
And this is not a good thing. Success myths hold you back and kill your dreams.
The latest flavor of success myths is that you need a lot of money to launch a business.
Know this, and know this well.
Not only do you not need a lot of money to launch a business, but you’re also better off bootstrapping
How can this be?
Great question. Get the full details on bootstrapping here.
When it comes to bootstrapping Robert Pera, John Oringer, and Craig Newmark have a thing or two to say.
If you haven’t heard of Pera, Oringer, and Newmark no worries.
You’ve likely heard of their companies Ubiquiti Networks, Shutterstock, and Craigs List.
All three of these founders, now in the billionaire club, bootstrapped their companies.
You can take it a step further. Ubiquiti, Shutterstock, and Craigs List are what they are because of bootstrapping.
Turbo charge your success when you combine bootstrapping with running like cockroach startups.
Get the full details of cockroach startups here.
That exactly what Pera, Oringer, and Newmark did. And so did I when I build my company into eight figures.
And so should you.
Success myths have no place in your thoughts. Let’s end the success myth about needing lots of money to launch a company.
Download my Cheat Sheet on 9 Horrible Success Myths You Need To Stop Believing Right Now
Conclusion
The difference between success and failure is knowing what not to do as much as knowing what to do.
Success myths are myths.
And following success myths takes you down a road that leads to frustration and failure.
In this post, you’ve learned nine success myths that rob you of your success and happiness.
So, you ask, what do you do now?
My dear reader, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.
You already have everything you need, right now, to be successful.
Banish these nine success myths from your thoughts and vocabulary.
Take these nine success myths and focus on one-at-a-time. When you’ve deprogrammed yourself of one success myth, move on to the next.
Rinse.
Repeat.
You can do it. I know you can.
And when you do this you become a better leader, entrepreneur, and person.
Your customers, team, friends, and family will thank you.
And in the process, you change the social fabric of society for the better.
So, my dear reader, what are you waiting for?
Here’s to you and your success!
Your Raving Fan,
Jeffrey Feldberg
Today, Feldberg's passion is helping you extract your deep wealth. The 90-day Deep Wealth Mastery program helps create a solid foundation for three areas: increasing profits to enterprise value and optimizing post-exit life. Deep Wealth Mastery offers strategies and insights drawn from Feldberg's rich experience. The strategies from the trenches get results. Jeffrey's vision is to increase the social fabric of society one entrepreneur at a time.
Learn more through https://iapdw.com/prosper
- The No-Compromise Startup Strategy Fueling Happy Wolf’s Rise As The Go-To Kids’ Snack Brand
- The Intersection Of AI And Investing To Level The Playing Field: A Conversation With Andrew Einhorn
- Entrepreneur And Coach Scott Maderer Shares The Blueprint To Success Through Your Time, Talent, And Treasures
