Is it possible that there are basic myths and lies that are ruining your life, holding back your career or justifying an unhappy or unfulfilled life?

The little things we believe or tell ourselves can go a long way toward derailing our success, according to several LinkedIn Influencers, who weighed in on the topic this week. Here’s what two of them had to say.

Greg McKeown, author and Young Global Leader at World Economic Forum

Why do capable people fail to break through to the next level? It’s a question McKeown began pursuing an answer to when he quit law school 15 years ago. “The answer to the question, to my great surprise, is success,” he wrote in his post 12 Myths that Lead to a Busy, Unfulfilling Life.

He first noticed the phenomenon when working with executives in successful Silicon Valley companies. “The success bred options and opportunities which undermined the very focus that led to success in the first place. In other words, I found that success can be a catalyst for failure,” McKeown wrote. What often happens, he contended, is that successful people get distracted by trivial things.

“If we’re not careful, our lives become dictated by ideas which sound convincing at some level but are really myths,” he wrote. He pointed to 12 big myths that can lead to a stressful, unsatisfying career and life.

Among them:

“If everyone is doing it then I need to do it. Let the fear of missing out consume you. Buy into the cultural bubble that glorifies being busy and checking social media and email constantly. Don’t pay attention to the quiet voice telling you a different life is possible. Just go with the crowd,” he wrote. The truth, “There is a joy in missing out. Discover it.”

“I’ll stay up late and get it done. If you ever mention sleep to someone remember to talk about how little you’ve had lately. Boast about getting five hours last night, or about how you pulled an all-nighter earlier this week. It’s okay to be tired and to admit it. But don’t show weakness—or worse, laziness— by suggesting you need a full eight hours,” he wrote. The truth, he wrote, “Sleep is for high performers.”

“I have plenty of time left to get to that. Of course you aren’t doing exactly what you feel like should be doing, but there will be time to do what you want to do after you’re finished doing what you have to do. You’ll get to it later. It’s a long life,” he wrote. The truth: “Life is pathetically short.”

The overarching lesson is simple, McKeown wrote. “When organising your life, there are only two options: The disciplined pursuit of the essential or the undisciplined pursuit of the nonessential,” he wrote. “And that matters because if you don’t prioritise your life, someone else will.”

Theresa Sullivan, career coach at Wayfinder Advisors

Is it possible that there are basic myths and lies that are ruining your life, holding back your career or justifying an unhappy or unfulfilled life?

The little things we believe or tell ourselves can go a long way toward derailing our success, according to several LinkedIn Influencers, who weighed in on the topic this week. Here’s what two of them had to say.

Greg McKeown, author and Young Global Leader at World Economic Forum

Why do capable people fail to break through to the next level? It’s a question McKeown began pursuing an answer to when he quit law school 15 years ago. “The answer to the question, to my great surprise, is success,” he wrote in his post 12 Myths that Lead to a Busy, Unfulfilling Life.

He first noticed the phenomenon when working with executives in successful Silicon Valley companies. “The success bred options and opportunities which undermined the very focus that led to success in the first place. In other words, I found that success can be a catalyst for failure,” McKeown wrote. What often happens, he contended, is that successful people get distracted by trivial things.

“If we’re not careful, our lives become dictated by ideas which sound convincing at some level but are really myths,” he wrote. He pointed to 12 big myths that can lead to a stressful, unsatisfying career and life.

Among them:

“If everyone is doing it then I need to do it. Let the fear of missing out consume you. Buy into the cultural bubble that glorifies being busy and checking social media and email constantly. Don’t pay attention to the quiet voice telling you a different life is possible. Just go with the crowd,” he wrote. The truth, “There is a joy in missing out. Discover it.”雪纖瘦

“I’ll stay up late and get it done. If you ever mention sleep to someone remember to talk about how little you’ve had lately. Boast about getting five hours last night, or about how you pulled an all-nighter earlier this week. It’s okay to be tired and to admit it. But don’t show weakness—or worse, laziness— by suggesting you need a full eight hours,” he wrote. The truth, he wrote, “Sleep is for high performers.”康婷清脂素

“I have plenty of time left to get to that. Of course you aren’t doing exactly what you feel like should be doing, but there will be time to do what you want to do after you’re finished doing what you have to do. You’ll get to it later. It’s a long life,” he wrote. The truth: “Life is pathetically short.”

The overarching lesson is simple, McKeown wrote. “When organising your life, there are only two options: The disciplined pursuit of the essential or the undisciplined pursuit of the nonessential,” he wrote. “And that matters because if you don’t prioritise your life, someone else will.”

Theresa Sullivan, career coach at Wayfinder Advisors

康婷清脂素