If you want to become a successful individual, there are many things you need to eliminate from your life.
Many successful people have noticed that when they got rid of these things, their lives became much better, and they became a magnet for success.
It is not easy, and some of these actions will need more effort than others, but if you truly want to succeed, you need to give up on these things.
Release the Need for Others’ Approval
Overthinking or excessive worrying about judgment & approval is one of the biggest things that keeps someone stuck. You shape your actions based on a need for someone else’s approval and lose your vision.
On a more spiritual level, seeking approval all the time drains your power because your energy is wrapped around another person’s judgment & views. Progress requires trusting your own intuition, even when no one else can think of a reason why your way is the way to go.
The most successful people figure out how to trust their intuition no matter what others say. When you stop requiring another person’s permission to grow and testify to your intuition, you are beginning to welcome courage and creativity back into your life.
Releasing the need for ‘one’s approval’ does not make you selfish; it frees you to explore yourself.
Let Go of Your Fear of Failure
Fear of failure is probably one of the strongest forces that will keep someone stuck. It has a rather subdued voice that tells you taking a chance isn’t worth the risk it poses. It builds on the feeling that mistakes determine who you are.
Yet, failing is not the opposite of success; it is the elevator to success. From a more spiritual aspect, failure teaches humility, strength, and clarity. Each time you make a mistake in your journey, it redirects your energy somewhere smarter and closer to your purpose.
Similarly to what we previously discussed about the successful people, they do not fear failure; they learn how to keep going all the time, regardless of fearful feelings.
You will learn better and faster when you make a mistake than you would by using it to justify quitting. Mistakes pull you closer to your purposes, calling, and desires. Abandoning the fear of failure will open the doors you never knew were there.
Stop Procrastinating
Success is action-based, and procrastination keeps you stuck. Procrastinating creates stress, wasted time, and lost opportunity. Procrastination is spiritual resistance, often based on perfectionism or fear.
The antidote is simple: a small action, even if you don’t feel ready. Action builds momentum, clarity, and confidence. When you stop procrastinating, life responds.
You do not need perfect timing; you need willingness. Letting go of procrastination doesn’t mean you have to do it all today; it just means showing up for yourself a little bit more each day. Success is not built with giant steps but through steady progress compounded over time.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Comparison steals joy, energy, and motivation. When looking at someone else’s journey, you forget that you have your own journey with your own pace and your own (usually better) purpose.
Spiritually, comparison separates you from gratitude and self-worth. Everyone’s path unfolds differently, and what works for someone else may not be in store for you. Successful people are focused on their own growth rather than seeing what others are doing.
When you stop comparing, you gain clarity, peace, and renewed energy. You start to appreciate your own talents and insight rather than what you perceive as weaknesses.
Let go of the idea of measuring your life against someone else’s timeline, or even any timeline for that matter. Your journey is individually designed for you, in mind, body, and spirit.
Give Up the Need to Control Everything
Trying to control every single detail of everything leads to stress and burnout (which ultimately leads to disappointment). Success relies upon strategy, but equally so upon trust (in timing, growth, and process).
Spiritually, letting go of your controlling tendencies opens the space to allow something to come into being that you could never force into existence. When you hold on too tight, you block flow.
When you loosen the grip, you allow the opportunity for creativity, collaboration, and the unexpected things to arrive. Successful people know when to plan and when to let go.
Letting go doesn’t mean you give up; it means you trust that the universe is supporting your effort. Control shrinks progress, while trust expands it.
Your Negative Inner Voice
The words you say to yourself shape your entire reality. The negative voice prevents you from believing you can do something and sabotages your confidence.
Spiritually, negative self-talk lowers your vibration and blocks opportunities that require belief, not fear. Success is built up where self-worth is high.
Replace unfriendly thoughts with friendly ones, even if they feel strange at first. Speak to yourself in the same way you would speak to the person you love, in terms of narrative and possibility.
When you stop being critical of yourself and start being friendly instead, your brain starts to become the place where your best ideas can thrive rather than hide.
The most powerful shift you can make is being friendly towards yourself because success originates in your inner world before it can be present in your outer world.
Born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ever since I was a little girl, my imagination knew no bounds. I remember vividly how I’d scribble down short stories, each page bursting with adventures and characters conjured up from the whimsy of my mind. These stories weren’t just for me; they were my way of connecting with my friends, offering them a slice of my fantasy world during our playtimes. The joy and excitement on their faces as we dived into my fictional realms motivated me to keep writing. This early passion for storytelling naturally evolved into my pursuit of writing, turning a childhood hobby into a fulfilling career.