5 Reasons Why Smart People Fail

Ever wondered why some of our incredibly smart friends live a mediocre or a banal life? Or are you yourself stuck there despite of being astute? Below I’ve mentioned five possible reasons why smart people fail!

1. Laziness

No one has climbed the mountain just by looking at it; no one has mastered a skill just by wishing it. The road to fiasco is mostly achieved by choosing the path of laziness. Laziness can be due to two reasons: because of fear and the other simply being your high motivation to do nothing. Laziness handicaps one’s ambitions. There’s a hard price of failure and rue that one pays for being lethargic.

2. Overconfidence

People with that overconfident mindset avoid challenge, give up early, view effort as interim, surround themselves with the “yes” men and women and rely so much on their smartness that they fail to work hard. These all qualities are incompatible with success.

“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”

– Bill Gates (Brainy Quotes)

3. Over Thinking in Search of Perfection

Over thinking leads to people musing over made up scenarios in their head that stresses them for absolutely no logical reason. This leads to a harsh self-analysis which breaks self-confidence and makes one dubious of themselves and their ideas. Aforementioned irresolution generates hesitation in initiation of authentic ideas.

Don’t forget to check How Will You Find Yourself?

Often over thinking by smart people attracts them to elegant concepts, practices to impress others which can have the effect of distracting them from the simpler, more fundamental truths.

4. They Always Need to be ‘Right’

It’s hard for everyone including them to graciously accept the fact that they are wrong. Failure becomes catastrophic for them. So when ‘being right’ becomes a necessity rather than success they start fearing. This fear often leads to self-doubt and limits their true potential. So it’s time to change and learn to accept that you can be incorrect.

5. Self Sabotage

The expression “you are your own worst enemy” rings true for people possessing self-sabotage characteristic which often leads them to failure. They get in their own way. Some people overreact, procrastinate, others are way too modest which leads to their own downfall and start under-estimating themselves. Self-sabotaging behavior results from a misguided attempt to rescue ourselves from our own negative feelings.

So smartness isn’t really a factor of determining one’s success and if you know you are smart it is essential to avoid the above mentioned habits in yourself to triumph in life.

Also Read: 4 Secrets to Turn Failure Into Success