Don’t stand in the way of your success

By Goretti Kimani

Success is defined the attainment of fame, wealth, social status or any other desired goal or objective. It can also mean fulfillment, contentment or happiness.

Nearly everyone desires career success and enormous effort is expended on a daily basis towards this objective.

Ironically, however, many people expect and are even prepared for failure, but few are prepared for success. The result is that great careers are wasted through self-sabotage from an inability to handle success.

Why would anyone engage in self-sabotage? For some people, the origin is in their past. They have endured so much pain and poverty in life that it is easy for them to lose sight of their goals following even the smallest achievement.

Others keep the wrong company. It is often said that to be successful, you need like-minded friends. Surrounding yourself with sycophants or people with no ambition can give you a false feeling of achievement.

In isolation

Others think short term. They do not see how their actions today will affect their long-term success. They take every achievement in isolation, give it too much attention and forget there is a tomorrow.

And others do not understand the success cycle — the continuous sequence of desire, planning, action, review and results. The trouble begins when these steps are not clearly articulated. For instance, one may receive accolades or even a promotion, but if they are out of tune with the success cycle, they may fail to recognise it as a reward for their hard work. They may begin to rest on their laurels, not recognising that every success should be followed by a fresh set of goals to inject new energy and keep you on the course to long-term success.

Yet others are consumed by pride, selfishness and arrogance. As success comes, they start to believe their own hype. They develop an assumption that they are the best. Worse still, they may begin to believe that the rest of the world owes them. They forget that there are countless people who helped them succeed.

Milestone

While the reasons for self-sabotage are endless, it can be easily avoided. To start with, clearly articulate your career goals and stick to them. This way, you will learn to celebrate each achievement as a milestone in the long journey to success, rather than as an end. 

Learn to appreciate others and give credit where it is due. As the saying goes, treat people well as you move up the ladder, you might need them to support you when you are coming down.

Also, keep improving along the way as every achievement usually comes with a new set of challenges. A big reservoir of good habits and people skills are a necessary asset for those eager for success.

Finally, always think big. Keep a positive attitude and never allow any amount of success to stop you in your tracks.

The writer is a human resource specialist with Peoplelink Consultants Ltd. Email: goretti@peoplelink.co.ke