We’ve all heard it before, “Success is all about mental preparation, dedication, and commitment”. But, how exactly do we prepare mentally? Do we need to take meditation classes, or even learn yoga to achieve a certain frame of mind? While yoga and meditation will surely help you control your emotions or maybe even give you a new outlook on life, these mental activities are just one piece of the puzzle.

Mental preparation is not just about knowing what to do but also knowing what thinking patterns, beliefs, or habits you should be avoiding. Once you know that thoughts can cause you to fail, then avoiding them should be easier. And when you learn what pitfalls to avoid, your road to success will be a lot easier.

So, what should you be avoiding?

1. Success is written in the stars

Some people believe that they’ll be successful because it’s their destiny. There’s nothing wrong with positive thinking, but you should be worried about in the belief of destiny. It’s a known fact that not everybody succeeds in life. So, if it were destiny for some people to succeed, it would also be destiny for some to fail as well.

Nothing is written in the stars and destiny is what we make it. We choose whether we succeed or fail in life. Success is a result of the choices we make every single day.

2. Stay away from the thought of perfection

When you look at the most successful people in the world, it’s easy to think that everything they do is perfect, which is why they are so successful. But this is far from the truth. A closer examination of their lives would reveal countless failures. In fact, they fail more than they succeed.

So, instead of striving for perfection, start by finding out how to make whatever it is you’re trying to do work. Once you get it to work, you can tweak it until it works even better.  Expect plenty of failures, but strive to reach the first step, which is to make it work.

3. The people you know

Having influential friends may help you succeed, but not always. The more people you have around you who think highly of you, then the higher their expectations. Striving to meet those expectations on a daily basis can wear you down.

Instead of aiming to improve your circle of influence, find people who believe in you at whatever your level is in life at this very moment. As you better yourself, your circle of influence will naturally follow. You’ll be more focused on improving yourself at your own pace instead of trying to achieve what other people expect of you.

You are who you think you are

If you truly believe that you’ll become a successful person, then that’s what you’ll be. However, belief is not the magic potion to success. Learn what successful people are, what it took for them to succeed, and how you can apply the same principles in your life. Believing that you’ll be successful is a great start, but planning, dedication, and commitment are the true keys to success.

A coach can help you to get into the right mindset and help you plan for success.