4 Lies You Tell Yourself That Keep You From Being Successful Stop talking yourself out of taking the next step.
By Timothy Sykes Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The only person preventing you from being successful is you. It's not society, it's not the government and it's not anyone in your life. Sure, some of us start off in life with better hands than others, but I'm a firm believer that everyone has the capacity to become successful.
These are the four biggest lies I hear all the time from people who haven't yet achieved their goals.
1. I need a college degree to be successful.
No, you need a college to degree to get a conventional 9-5 job but when you're an entrepreneur you're your own boss. You don't need a college degree to get that job. And you most certainly don't need a college degree to educate yourself.
As part of my Millionaire Challenge, one of my students has already become a millionaire before graduating. There are countless examples of successful entrepreneurs who have made it big without a degree, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Related: Where Famous Tech Founders Went to College (Infographic)
2. I don't have enough time.
This is perhaps the biggest lie I hear most. There are probably only a handful of people in the world who genuinely don't have enough time. If you have time to browse Facebook or play video games in the evening, you have more than enough time to study what you love and to build up your business.
Generally, people are lazy. You might have less time than the next guy, but this is not a race. Even if you only make a small amount of progress every day you know you're going to get there in the end. Be ruthless with yourself.
Related: 9 Rules for Successful Time Management
3. I'm too old.
You still have a working mind and you still have time. Until you're in the ground you still have time to be successful. I've taught my students how to trade and those students come from all social classes, all ages and from all financial circumstances. You're never too old to learn. Don't give up on your dreams of financial freedom just because you're not in your early 20s anymore.
Related: How Old Is Too Old to Start a Business? The Answer May Surprise You
4. It's too hard to get started.
It can be tough to get started. It's down to you to show some initiative, though. Every one of my students showed the initiative to find out how to learn and they found my program. Whether you want to trade or do something else, you'll find mentors who can teach you wonderful things about how to succeed in your chosen field.
A famous Dutch saying is that the hardest part of starting any journey is taking your first steps out of your front door. And I couldn't agree with it more. Once you get started you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.
Related: When You're Just Getting Started, Turn Up The Volume.
Last word: Take the first step today.
It's sad to see so many people not achieving their goals because of the lies they tell themselves. I say that if you can still breathe you can still succeed. It might take you a little longer than others, but the only thing blocking you from success is you.
