No matter which profession one belongs to, everyone wants to be successful. Unfortunately, success isn’t easy, especially in business. It requires hard work, struggle, facing numerous challenges and so on. Even if you are doing everything right and have a perfect product, a perfect strategy, an excellent team, and are hardworking; there is bound to be something holding you back. Many individuals spend money and time to determine where they are going wrong but the things that are probably stopping you from succeeding in business might not be your business structure, your team or your strategy. Maybe the factors limiting you are quite simple psychological factors that most people overlook. Let’s have a look at some of these factors: Fear of Public Speaking A lot of people fear speaking in public. This doesn’t mean that they have a lack of knowledge but they merely have low confidence levels or simply have a problem in expressing themselves properly. Throughout our careers and lives, there are many instances in which we have to express our ideas and thoughts to others. Many are completely at ease with speaking in a room full of people but a lot of them prefer to stay quiet even if they do have amazing ideas. If you are unable to speak up or fear public speaking, this might be the thing stopping you from succeeding. Take small steps to overcome this fear, like noting down points you want to say, focusing more on what you are saying instead of thinking about the number of people before you, taking assistance of audio/visual in a presentation, practicing in front of a mirror or in front of friends and family, etc. Gradually, you will be able to open up and speak confidently in front of an audience. Settling For Less The people, who succeed, never settle for less. They keep on moving forward and don’t stop till they have achieved their goals. However, majority of us stop striving for our goals once we face a hurdle or two in our way and settle for what we already have. This is one of the major factors; that is going to prevent you from really succeeding in your business. If you stop moving forward and lose the will to achieve your goals, then you can never achieve success. Even if you have faced a hurdle, just change your strategy, find a solution, ask for help, or take a little break; but keep moving forward to fulfill your goals and aims. Nothing is impossible if you keep on trying and don’t give up. Fearing Failure This is one of the most common factors, which stops individuals from attaining success in business. Majority of the time, people don’t make an attempt to try something new because of the fear that they will embarrass themselves or fail at it. It is true, failure is an undesirable outcome, but it is also a part of our lives. We face failures in many steps while moving towards success. However, this failure actually helps you in learning more; it acts as an opportunity; giving you experience and helping you grow. All successful businessmen today also had to face a number of failures before they reached the level of success they enjoy now. They took failure as a learning opportunity and didn’t let it stop them from getting what they wanted. If you do fail in something, it is not the end. Just take some time to assess why you failed. Understand the reasons and determine the possible strategies or solutions you could adopt to overcome that failure and move forward. Develop another strategy and don’t be afraid to try out new things. Remember, if you fail, you can always try again and eventually gain success but giving up after facing a failure; is the one and only true failure in life. Low Self Esteem Low self esteem creates a feeling of inadequacy and leads you to believe that you are not capable of doing or achieving something. Past life experience or someone telling you that you can’t do something can actually make you believe that you are incapable of achieving your goals. You can carry that feeling and thought with you without even realizing it. You will never be able to overcome that feeling of low self esteem unless you do something about it. The best solution is to start learning and mastering that certain skill or activity which you think you can’t succeed at. Keep on practicing it till you become self-assured and confident about it. No Work/Life Balance Lack of work/life balance has a major impact on your success level. It is important to strive hard for your business but it is equally important to take time out to relax and spend time with your loved ones. Not interacting with your spouse, kids, parents and friends can often affect your ability to grow your business successfully, as lack of communication lead s to increased stress levels, resulting in low productivity and decrease in motivation levels. Spend some time with your family and/or friends without any distractions, read your favorite book or watch a movie. Taking time to relax will enable you to lower your stress levels and focus more on your work. Lack of Knowledge If you aren’t learning anything new; then you are not growing. If you are not growing; then you won’t be able to grow your business and achieve success. In order to be successful in business, it is essential to attain useful and relevant knowledge as it will help you in making the right decisions. The world is growing and evolving. Keep yourself updated about the latest trends of your industry and try implementing appropriate strategies and innovations into your business to make it grow and prosper. Read books, go to seminars, attend workshops, and take part in coaching or mentorship programs to gain more knowledge and experience. Get rid of these insecurities and step out of your comfort zone. Be open to new challenges and believe in yourself as this will help you in overcoming these factors and enable you to move forward towards success. Recognizing and identifying the things that hold you back from success; is the first step to overcoming them. Things that look impossible to you today will be a piece of cake for you tomorrow. Just don’t let your shortcomings hold you back.