Motivation

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6 months ago

June 11, 2024

Empowerment

Have you had the chance to read the book ‘Think & Grow Rich’?

If you are a frequent visitor to Wealthy Gorilla, then you must have already read this book by now!

Written by Napoleon Hill, Think & Grow Rich is regarded as one of the top self-development books of all time.

The book imparts the 13 principles for transforming your desires into wealth and is filled with numerous valuable insights that can help you revolutionize your life.

The 30 Major Causes of Failure

One of the chapters in Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill features a list of the 30 major causes of failure. These are the reasons why 99% of individuals are struggling in their lives.

The purpose of highlighting and elucidating these ‘major causes of failure’ in this article is to demonstrate why people fail and how you can avoid making the same mistakes in your own life.

Here are the 30 major causes of failure as outlined by Napoleon Hill:

1. Unfavourable Hereditary Background

This is placed first on the list because Hill suggests it is one of the most challenging issues for individuals to overcome.

Essentially, this means that someone may not be naturally gifted or lack certain intellectual abilities. They can make all the efforts to enhance their knowledge and intelligence, but they still face a disadvantage.

2. Lack of a Well Defined Purpose in Life

If you do not have a clear goal that you are striving to accomplish, a purpose that you are working towards, you will not achieve success. Without a target to aim for, you lack direction.

3. Lack of Ambition to Aim Above Mediocrity

There are various reasons why people may lack the ambition to strive for greatness. Whether it is due to laziness, comfort, entitlement, or disbelief in “success.”

If you never aspire to achieve higher, you will never exceed mediocrity. This implies that you will never accomplish more than average.

4. Insufficient Education

Another major cause of failure is inadequate education. This does not only refer to a lack of formal education during one’s upbringing.

In many instances, especially in certain regions, formal education is a concern. However, another significant issue is that many individuals complete their schooling and believe they have acquired all the knowledge they need.

When it comes to your career, specialized knowledge is essential and can only be gained through on-the-job experience and self-study outside of working hours. Just showing up for work daily is not sufficient education.

5. Lack of Self-Discipline

Achieving success is not easy. It requires a great deal of discipline to consistently put in hard work until you start to see success.

There are numerous productive habits that must be adopted to maximize your day, and consequently, your week, month, and year.

6. Ill Health

Good health is essential for enjoying success. In fact, poor health can hinder your progress towards achieving success in the first place.

Factors contributing to ill health include:

Lack of exercise

Overconsumption of junk foods

Unhealthy daily habits

Excessive indulgence in sexual activities

7. Unfavourable Environmental Influences During Childhood

Many individuals fail due to the environment in which they were raised. Poor parenting, unfavorable neighborhoods, being born into impoverished families, and so on.

While these circumstances are challenging, more people than not allow them to dictate their future. Regardless of the circumstances, there is always room for improvement.

8. Procrastination

Everyone has dreams, but most people procrastinate when it comes to taking action. They wait until they feel ‘ready’ or for the ‘perfect time.’

Time passes, but they remain stagnant. The reality is that there will never be a perfect time to start pursuing your dreams. You must stop procrastinating and instill a sense of urgency in your life.

9. Lack of Persistence

Without persistence, you will not make progress. Persistence can be challenging when you do not see immediate results from your hard work.

Indeed, persistence is the key to success. Every successful individual has encountered failures, but their persistence enabled them to bounce back and not remain failures.

10. Negative Personality

Do you know individuals who constantly complain but never take action to change their situation? Or those who always claim they cannot accomplish something?

Negative thinking only leads to a negative life. This is a significant cause of failure, and transitioning from a negative to a positive mindset should be a top priority.

11. Lack of Controlled Sexual Urge

Many people may deny the impact of this factor, but it does affect them. Sexual desires have the power to influence individuals more than any other form of energy.

This can lead to individuals spending excessive time pursuing sexual gratification, becoming distracted, and losing sight of their goals.

12. Uncontrolled Desire for ‘Something for Nothing’

Have you encountered individuals who seek rewards without putting in the necessary effort?

Such individuals believe they can attain their desires without helping others achieve their goals. This is a grave mistake.

Success is achieved by helping others, not solely focusing on personal gain. Every successful business thrives because it benefits enough people to be profitable.

13. Lack of a Well Defined Power of Decision

Napoleon emphasizes that effective decision-makers make quick decisions and adjust them gradually, rather than the other way around. The ability to make prompt decisions is crucial for success.

Without the ability to make decisions, building a business becomes impossible. We make countless decisions daily, making this skill indispensable.

14. One or More of the Six Basic Fears

In Think & Grow Rich, Hill also identifies the six fundamental fears that all individuals experience. These fears include:

Fear of poverty

Fear of criticism

Fear of ill health

Fear of loss of love

Fear of old age

Fear of death

Harboring one of these six basic fears can also contribute to failure. It is vital to remember that death is inevitable, implying that there is nothing to lose, and fear should not hinder the pursuit of one’s dream life.

15. Wrong Selection of a Mate in Marriage

Your choice of spouse can impact your career significantly. If you have a supportive and harmonious marriage, it can benefit your professional endeavors.

Conversely, constant conflicts in marriage can affect your work performance. Hence, it is crucial to choose your life partner wisely.

16. Over-Caution

To achieve great success, one must take risks. Playing it safe will only get you so far. Risks are often necessary, and although they do not always yield positive outcomes immediately, they eventually pay off.

Individuals who are excessively cautious and reluctant to explore the unknown often face failures.

17. Wrong Selection of Associates in Business

Your choice of business partners can also be a significant factor contributing to failure. Selecting individuals lacking the necessary qualities can lead to poor decisions and jeopardize your hard work.

It is essential to choose your business associates wisely.

18. Superstition & Prejudice

Superstition can significantly impact one’s mindset. For instance, Tai Lopez occasionally gives away free cars to his followers.

Many recipients of these free cars doubted the authenticity of the offer and believed it was a scam. Consequently, those individuals missed out on the opportunity. Superstition can be a significant obstacle to success.

19. Wrong Selection of a Vocation

Many people make the common mistake of choosing the wrong career path. If a job is not something you are passionate about, it is not the right fit for you.

Unfortunately, a vast majority of individuals dread Mondays because they are heading to jobs they do not enjoy. They are merely working for the paycheck. Why?

This remains a mystery. Find something you love.

20. Lack of Concentration of Effort

Do you know the average human attention span?

It is quite short. Concentrating on a task for an extended period is exceedingly challenging. It becomes even more difficult when you are focusing on something you dislike.

21. The Habit of Indiscriminate Spending

Do you frequently purchase unnecessary items?

How much return has that new TV provided you? $0? That is peculiar…

Wasting money instead of investing it in self-improvement is a key difference between the rich and the poor. Consider this before splurging on a new wardrobe.

22. Lack of Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm is crucial for achieving success in any endeavor. Without enthusiasm or a genuine passion for your work, you will struggle to persevere.

This is why individuals solely driven by money often fail to find it. When money serves as the primary motivator rather than passion, individuals tend to abandon their pursuits before achieving success.

A genuine passion means wanting to engage in the activity daily, irrespective of monetary gains or setbacks encountered.

23. Intolerance

Being open-minded is crucial for any successful entrepreneur. Openness to new ideas, diverse perspectives, and different individuals is essential.

Intolerance towards others and their ideas can harm your reputation, especially if those individuals are your colleagues or business associates.

24. Intemperance

Similar to intolerance in many aspects, intemperance is another significant cause of failure. If you have a tendency to lose your temper easily, you will likely irritate many people and hinder your productivity.

25. Inability to Cooperate With Others

Collaboration with others is inevitable, as every business involves dealing with people. If you cannot cooperate with others, you will not progress far.

The key to achieving your goals lies in helping others achieve theirs; this will not happen if you refuse to cooperate with others.

26. Possession of Power Not Acquired Through Self-Effort

Individuals who attain power without earning it themselves are destined to fail.

They lack the essential habits and skills required to earn power independently. Additionally, they often lack the experience and knowledge necessary to utilize their power effectively.

People who acquire power without putting in the effort will struggle to control and utilize it efficiently, and should not be entrusted with such power.

27. Intentional Dishonesty

Whether you are dishonest with yourself or others, a lack of honesty will eventually catch up with you. People will be reluctant to work with you, trust you, or even trust yourself.

The entire facade will collapse eventually.

28. Egotism & Vanity

Ego often obstructs individuals from improving their knowledge and skills. It also hampers collaboration.

Many people are too stubborn to accept their mistakes or collaborate with others because they believe they are superior to everyone else.

29. Guessing Instead of Thinking

If you engage in guesswork rather than critical thinking, you are setting yourself up for failure. Guessing instead of thinking is a detrimental mindset.

Many individuals instigate arguments because of this mindset. They assume without conducting thorough research before formulating their opinions.

Do not fall into this trap.