Five Lies That Severely Limit the Amount of Success People Can Enjoy

Many of us lie to ourselves. We tell ourselves lies of convenience to convince us we’re on track, doing something right when it’s anything but that.

But there comes a time when you need to confront life, face things head-on, and tell yourself the truth. Or at least drop the lies. Well, that’s quite bitter and definitely not fun.

That’s why people love tickling themselves with lies or half-truths. But it doesn’t take long for those lies to come back and bite people.

Or even if they don’t come back baring their teeth to bite, they keep people stuck in some stages of life. Here are a few such lies I’ve heard over the years.

I know how things will play out

When people are reluctant to listen to advice, this is usually one of the lies you’ll hear them tell themselves. They assume they know everything and deceive themselves they’re on top of the situation. Until, it turns out, they’re not.

Sometimes, rather than puffing your chest out and claiming invincibility, it’s better to listen to the other person. Stop assuming you know how things will play out as if you have some psychic powers. Or some transformative powers to change things.

I’ll do it some other time. Not now

This line is the easiest lie we tell ourselves, sometimes several times a day. The most obvious way to spot yourself telling this lie is when you cannot give yourself a definite time when you’ll do the said task.

You just put things off to a later date, one that’s very much open to forgetfulness.

People do this because the task in question could involve minutes, maybe hours of deep thinking. And sometimes, that could distract the agenda of the time.

Don’t fall in love with this lie. If you can’t do something immediately, give yourself a definite time to get back to it and get things done.

If person A did it, I could do it too

You probably could, but chances are you’re different and likely can’t. Even if you follow the exact steps they took.

People usually fail to recognize the many differences in our physical makeup. Also, our emotional, mental, and psychological strengths differ. And we can’t ignore the fact that the environment everyone finds themselves differs.

These factors play a significant part in what we can or can’t do, more so than others’ accomplishments. While someone doing something is a shining light of motivation to us, it’s not as simple as it looks from the outside.

People have followed others’ examples and gotten stuck in dead-end jobs; some have looked at friends’ successes and tried to copy that, losing all their life savings to failed businesses, etc.

Don’t lie to yourself that you can do something as well as someone did. Look out for the deal-breaking intangibles that help them.

That’s for the oldies/younger generation

When people convince themselves they’re too special to do something, they lie to themselves that the act in question is for others but not them. And that comes from a condescending attitude that helps no one.

I’ve noticed this lie usually comes up when it’s something not too pleasing to the eye — some form of healthy diet alternative, workout regime, or a life-improving habit.

People who tell themselves that lie are usually reluctant to embrace change. They’re often happy in the rut they’re stuck in and would do anything within their power to resist change.

It’s their fault, not mine

People love to lie to themselves by deflecting blame to someone else or even the system when it’s better to own up to their faults and learn from their mistakes.

They cry about a lack of fairness. But go a step further, and you’ll realize they’re crying wolf. Dig deeper, and you’ll find out these ‘innocent’ folks caused the trouble they’re washing their hands off.

Of course, very few people want to rise and be counted as the fall guy. Not too many are willing to accept full responsibility when something goes wrong.

But with taking full responsibility comes a resolve to get better, to best the challenge next time. People who don’t do that will get stuck where they are for a long time.

Many people are stuck where they are in life partly because of the lies they keep telling themselves. Some of these lies come from the negativity that surrounds us all the time.

But it also rooted some of it in pride, laziness, and an unwillingness to accept growth and change. As Polonius, one of the many characters in the works of William Shakespeare says, “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”