Habits are extremely powerful tools. Interestingly though, they are amoral. In other words, they can produce good and positive behaviors or bad and destructive ones. Like any other powerful tool, it all depends on who and how it is used. Research shows that among successful people, there are several common traits and habits. Additionally, research has shown that by emulating such habits, anyone can also become successful. To put it differently, these habits will make you successful regardless of who you are or where you live. Conversely, we can deduce that having or copying the habits of unsuccessful people will ultimately lead to failure. So, in this post, we will discuss what common bad habits to avoid, particularly habits of unsuccessful people. We hope this post helps shed some light on such behaviors and habits to avoid and those to emulate.
Why does copying a habit, good or bad, produce the same result for the person copying the habit? The answer to that question comes down to understanding what habits are and how they work. Simply put, habits are default behavioral patterns. They are behaviors one performs regularly and repeatedly, till they become one’s natural response to a specific task. In other words, they are default routines we have for specific tasks. For example, if your morning routine involves a bath and breakfast before doing anything else, that is a habit.
Before we proceed, here are some related Innovate Today posts you might find equally inspiring:
- Five Habits of Innovative Thinkers
- Ten Habits of Highly Successful People
- Five Important Benefits of Goal Setting
- Ten Inspiring Quotes by Nick Vujicic
- Seven Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs
- How to Keep Yourself Motivated in Life
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In this section, we will take a closer look at what habits are and why they are important.
What are Habits and Why are they so Important?
Samuel Johnson, the English Writer, Poet, Moralist and Lexicographer is credited with this quote on habits:
The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.
We believe this to be brutally true.
As discussed earlier, habits are our default routines for specific tasks. Interestingly, repeated actions form behaviors, repeated behaviors form routines and repeated routines form habits. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary on the other hand, defines habits as behavioral patterns acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularly or increased facility of performance. To put it differently, habits make it easy to do repetitive and routine tasks with less mental effort.
Our brains love habits and routines because they make repetitive tasks easy. For example, driving to and from work, or washing dishes can be thought of as a routine. You may however have noticed that while performing some of these tasks, your thoughts wander towards other things. Yet, despite your lack of attention, the task is still performed correctly and safely.
Here are four reasons habits are so powerful and necessary for our day to day activities:
- Habits are routines done so frequently, they do not require major mental effort. As a result, they allow one to carry out routine actions and behaviors without excessive effort.
- They have the potential to hinder or help with productivity and performance. While our examples thus far have been rather simplistic, habits also apply to more complex behaviors and routines.
- Through habit, we can develop the willpower for to make more important decisions.
- Good habits help create reliable routines, order, and efficiency. On the other hand, bad habits have the opposite effect.
Habits play a crucial role in our daily activities. However, their importance extends beyond the realm of mundane activities to areas of importance. As we saw earlier, they play a critical role in whether we succeed at what we do or not.
In the next section, we will share seven bad habits of unsuccessful people to avoid.
Seven Bad Habits of Unsuccessful People to Avoid
Like Samuel Johnson said in his quote, bad habits never seem like a problem till they are too strong. In the same vein, avoiding the habits, routines, and behaviors of unsuccessful people, we can develop new habits and become successful.
On that note, here are seven bad habits of unsuccessful people to avoid:
- They are Quitters: One of the worst habits of unsuccessful people is that they give up without putting up a fight. In addition, they lack persistence and rarely attempt something again after failing at it. This is a bad habit that can lead to a life of failure.
- They Procrastinate: Another habit of unsuccessful people is procrastination. This means they put things off till the last minute. One of the effects of procrastination is mediocrity. This is because when everything is done in a hurry, there is little time for review and corrections. This can also lead to failure and a lack of success.
- Always Distracted: Unsuccessful people are easily distracted from their primary assignment. For example, the are often worried about what people could think or say. These distractions cause a waste of time and effort that could be used for other profitable goals.
- They Fear Change: Change is always at the core of progress. However, unsuccessful people have the bad habit of fearing and rejecting change. The problem with this is that in the process, they also turn down opportunities for success, progress, and promotions. Instead, change should be viewed as a positive thing that heralds success.
- They do not Set Goals: Unsuccessful people do not set such goals. As a result, they cannot measure their progress or adjust their plans to increase chances of success.
- Unsuccessful People place little value on Time: As the saying goes, time is the one commodity we all have in common. It is the proper use of time that produces success. Unsuccessful people have the bad habit of not valuing their time. Instead, they waste it on activities that have no profit.
- They do not take Responsibility for their Actions: Successful people take responsibility for their actions and successes. They understand that they are the makers of their own successes. Conversely, unsuccessful people never take responsibility for their failures. Instead, they blame it on other people, situations, or their misfortunes. By taking responsibility, successful people position themselves to take action to make their lives better.
Are you able to identify with any of the bad habits of unsuccessful people listed above? We encourage you to keep in mind that such bad habits can be broken. They can be broken by making a conscious effort to change your behaviors and routines.
What other bad habits of unsuccessful people can you identify? Feel free to list them in our comments section. As always, we would love to hear from you.
Today’s Funny Quote
As is our custom, we will be ending this post with a funny quote. Our funny quote for today is by Reba McEntire, the American Country Singer and Actress:
To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.
Do you agree? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions with us in the comments section at the end of this post.
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Have a great week ahead, stay safe and we will see you again later this week with more inspiring posts.
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