10 Habits of Unsuccessful People

10 Habits of Unsuccessful People

Your daily routine is comprised of your daily habits, and your daily routine is what determines the outcome of your life.

Are your habits setting you up to lead a fulfilling and successful life, or an unfulfilling and unsuccessful existence that just sort of happens based on however you feel on any given day?

Success means something different to the individual. So, I want you to envision what success means to you. What does it look like?

Then, jump into this list of 10 habits of unsuccessful people. Do any of these resonate with you?

There is absolutely no condemnation if they do-in fact, having awareness is the first step to making beneficial changes that will lead to a more fulfilling and purposeful future.

10 Habits of Unsuccessful People

Complaining

“Don’t complain about something you don’t have a vision to change. ~Joyce Meyer

We all have that person (or people) in our lives who complain all day, every day, but have no motivation to change their problems. They complain about being overweight, being unhappy, not making enough money, hating their job, the government, bad weather, how tired they are, etc.

And yet…

They’re not doing anything to change their circumstances.

If you’re not taking a proactive approach to resolve your problems, then quit complaining.

Complaining without a plan of action = you’re settling for the way things are and you have no desire to change your circumstances.

When you complain about your life, you only attract more to complain about.

You also subconsciously signal to people that you have no control over your life.

I love what Terri Savelle Foy says about complaining. She says, “when you complain, you remain.”

Make the choice to quit complaining and instead, focus on gratitude.

Every time you’re tempted to complain, counteract that complaint with a statement of gratitude.

Better yet, every morning, journal five things you’re grateful for that occurred within the last 24 hours. I practice this almost daily and I can attest it works!

Related:

Lateness

People who are chronically late often live by statements such as, “I was born late,” “I’ll be late to my own funeral,” or, “I’m on ‘my’ time.”

But what they may or may not realize is, being late all the time signals to other people that you’re inconsiderate and don’t respect their time.

It also signals that you’re unreliable and lack integrity. (Ouch! But I read this somewhere, and it’s true).

If you’re invited to dinner somewhere and the food’s getting cold by the time you show up, that’s a problem.

Being chronically late to work or to meetings will make people lose trust in you and maybe even get you demoted or fired.

Related:

Victim Mentality

“For we are each responsible for our own conduct.” ~Galatians 6:5

Having a victim mentality-where every problem or failure is attributed to someone or something else-is a way of life for some people, and it is very harmful and toxic to your well-being.

These people blame other people, circumstances, the government, etc., for why they aren’t doing better in life.

But please listen closely:

Where you are right now in life, this very minute, is the culmination of your choices and nobody else’s.

You are solely and entirely responsible for your life.

When you blame others for the problems you’ve encountered, you’re telling yourself (and others) that you’re powerless over your life.

What’s the difference between the rags-to-riches millionaire and the person who never got out of poverty?

The millionaire didn’t let their past circumstances stop them from achieving success in life, while the person who never got out of poverty accepted and succumbed to the way things were.

Circumstances only control your destiny if you let them.

“You are where you are because that’s exactly where you chose to be.” ~Zig Ziglar

Related:

Wasting Money

We live during a time where it’s the social norm to hit the Starbucks drive-thru every morning, yet those same people picking up their daily Frappuccino complain they’re broke and in debt.

If you’re struggling to save money, think about your daily spending habits. Are you joining the coffee nuts in the Starbucks line or picking up fast food for lunch every day? It may only be $3 here, $5 there, but it adds up, fast. Be mindful about where your money is going.

I work from home full-time, but when I did travel to an office, I packed my lunches over the weekend and put my coffee in a thermos.

You don’t need to give up your favorite Starbucks drink or sandwich spot, but be mindful of where your money is going. Try only getting Starbucks once a week instead of once a day. Pack your lunch 4x a week and only go out to lunch once.

Examine where you’re throwing money down the drain and make a plan to be intentional about your spending.

Credit cards are an even bigger problem.

Unsuccessful people don’t have a vision or specific plan for their finances; therefore, their spending is uncontrolled.

Tom Corley, of Rich Habits, discovered in a study that 88% of the poor had over $5k in revolving credit-card debt. 69% used those credit cards on indulgent, high-priced purchases. 77% of those participants had several credit cards.

If you don’t have the cash or the money in your account, you can’t afford it.

Stop telling yourself otherwise.

You will never get out of debt or save money if you cannot accept this.

Related:

Spending Time with Low-Quality People

“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” ~Proverbs 13:20

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

Who are your five?

I don’t think you should cut ties with someone at the drop of a dime, but be mindful about who you keep close.

The lifestyles of toxic friends rub off on you more than you realize.

You become like those whom you spend the most time with.

Not to mention-toxic friends are not the people you want to share your goals and dreams with.

Small minds do not comprehend big dreams.

Related:

Consuming Low-Quality Content

The average American watches five hours of TV a day.

That’s insane!

How much more could you accomplish if you cut out even just one hour of television a day? That’s an extra 7 hours a week to do something more productive than watching other people live their lives.

Screen time isn’t just limited to television, though. We are a society glued to our phones and social media.

Spending too much time on social media can make you not only unsuccessful and unfulfilled, but miserable. Between news cycles the comparison trap, social media has become more harmful than a source of good.

Limit your time on social media. Plan a specific block of time once or twice a day to check your accounts, and then break the habit of checking it any other time of day. You’d be surprised how much time you free up, and how much more productive your time is spent.

Fill your time with quality content in its place-podcasts, books, etc.

You can set the tone for your mood just by intentionally choosing quality content to consume.

Related:

Unhealthy Lifestyle

Your daily routine either promotes good health or destroys it.

We all have 24 hours in a day, yet so many people make excuses as to why they “can’t” or don’t get exercise.

The most common excuses include the following:

I don’t have time.
I’m too tired.
It’s too expensive.
I’m not motivated.

Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is just as imperative to your health as exercise is. Unsuccessful people tend to drink soda or other sugary drinks instead of water and fast food instead of healthy fare.

They also tend to imbibe in too much alcohol, smoking cigarettes, or other habits detrimental to their health.

Read my article, How to Make Exercise a Habit in 6 Steps if you need help getting started with exercise and eating right.

Related:

Gossiping

“Big minds talk about ideas. Average minds talk about events. Small minds talk about people.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Which one are you?

Every office has their token gossip queen. Formerly working in an office setting, I quickly learned who not to trust in the office.

If they could so easily gossip or complain about another co-worker to me, I could only imagine what they were saying about me to others.

Gossiping signals to others that you cannot be trusted, it ruins your integrity, and worse, reveals your insecurity.

Because that’s where gossip stems from: insecurity.

Nothing good comes from gossiping. There is nothing fruitful about it.

Related:

Procrastination

“Tomorrow is the only day that appeals to a lazy man.” Jimmy Lyons

What are you putting off that could be done today?

Chronic procrastinators give in to the distraction of instant gratification over the delayed success that hard work and effort create.

You are wasting precious time-and your life-by being a chronic procrastinator.

The work you’re putting off is still going to be there tomorrow, so you may as well do it now and get it over with.

What’s dangerous is when people procrastinate on their dreams and goals.

Before you know it, life will pass you by and you’ll be looking back on your life with regret, wishing you hadn’t wasted time and blown your chance to live your dreams.

Related:

Quitting

Fun fact: 80% of people ditch their New Years’ resolutions by February. 25% don’t even make it the first full week into the new year before they quit.

Why? Because they aren’t committed or determined to succeed.

They don’t want it bad enough.

You have to truly want a specific outcome in order to stay motivated and disciplined to get it.

Nothing worth having comes easy, unfortunately.

Losing weight isn’t easy. Starting a business isn’t easy. Saving money while watching as your friends take exotic vacations isn’t easy. Ditching a bad habit isn’t easy.

But it’s worth it.

And if you want it bad enough, you’ll make it happen.

You’ll find a way.

Related:

Before You Go

If you read through this list and resonated with some of these bad habits, don’t beat yourself up.

These are pitfalls of the average person, and awareness is the first step to overcoming them and improving your life.

What do you need to do today to see positive change in your life?

Let me know in the comments below.

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Lisa

Hi! I'm Lisa. I help women live purposeful, fulfilling and joyful lives. I'm happily married and a fur mom to two boxers and two rabbits. I love Jesus, freelance writing, fitness, personal development, reading books, football, cross-stitching, and video games.

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Globex Outreach

October 11, 2019 12:55 pm

Thanks Lisa. Agreed with your thoughts. Also, incompetent people envy other successful persons around them. Instead of working hard to be like them, they spread negativity and try every dirty trick to bring them down.