If you ask someone you consider to be successful whether they see themselves the same way, the answer is likely to be: "Hmm, I don't know, I'm not sure."

We have a habit of being ultra-critical of ourselves in spite of obvious successes.

We can be our own worst enemy when it comes to bettering ourselves. We let our mind get in the way, we get distracted by external influences, or we associate with the wrong people.

There are a lot of factors that can impinge upon your ability to become successful.

You have to learn how to recognize these factors, and take steps to eliminate them as much as you can from your life.

We all want to be successful, but sometimes, we don't want to do what is necessary to get there.

1) Doubt:

If you doubt your ability to achieve, then you will not achieve anything.

We all doubt ourselves from time to time. A little bit of doubt is healthy, as it allows us to focus our mind on what we could improve. However, if we continue to doubt ourselves, it will only inhibit our ability to achieve.

Doubt can take over your life and paralyze you if you're not careful.

Taking risks is scary, whether it's starting a new business, talking to someone new, or moving to a foreign country.

The difference between those who are successful and those who aren't is that they don't let their doubts overpower them.

They recognize them and push forward anyway.

Remember this: it's better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all.

2) Conformity:

Conformity is one of the biggest inhibitors of success.

Modern society frowns upon people who strike out on their own and choose their own path in life. We are expected to live our lives according to a certain model, and not deviate from it.

This is okay for some people, but it offers you limited opportunities to improve yourself and become successful. Just because everyone is doing it does not make it right.

If I had done what everyone else around me was doing, I would not have quit my dead-end job seven years ago, traveled the world, and set up my blog.

I decided to go against conforming and chose my own path in life. I had no idea it would lead me down the road it did, but I couldn't be happier with where I ended up.

If you want to do something, but you're worried about other people may think, that means you should do it anyway, and maybe find some better friends.

If you follow the crowd like a sheep, how can you be a success?

3) Not Understanding Your Why:

Just wanting to be a success is not enough.

If it was that simple, everyone would be successful! The challenge of being successful goes much deeper than that.

You have to understand why you want to be successful.

Is it to provide for your family?

Is it to become location independent?

Is it to remove money worries?

If you don't know what you want, you will scratch around, and end up with something that does not resemble your goals.You have to have a clear idea of what you want to be successful.You need to get to the heart of why you want to be successful and understand the root of your passion.

Find your why to find success.

4) Lack of Desire:

Life does not hand you opportunities on a plate.

If you're waiting around for life to throw you a favour, you're out of luck. It doesn't work that way.

Life is what you make of it. If you're spending time wishing things were better instead of working towards making them better, you're not going to get very far.

If you're lazy, you'll forever be stuck in the same place. You have to go out, grasp life by the balls and make the most of it.

Only a select few became successful by accident. You have to work your ass off to get there. No amount of wishing or feeling sorry for yourself will get you there!

Take charge of your life and work towards your goals. You may hear it all the time, but there is no substitute for hard work and being consistent.If you can work hard and stay the distance, you will be successful.

5) Too result-oriented:

I tended to get down if I don't see results quickly. I wasn't looking at the bigger picture.

Results take time a long time. You could be working at something for a number of years before you see any signs of success.

You need hours of practice and failure before you become successful at anything. 

Bill Gates didn't become successful overnight. He was fortunate enough to live next to a university, which allowed him to practice coding whenever he wanted.

He practiced during his teenage years and was able to put this to use later to make Microsoft the successful company it is today.

If he had focused on results at an early age, he would have become discouraged and quit.

There is no such thing as an overnight success.

No matter who you are, it takes time.

6) Environment:

The environment you're in is surprisingly important to how successful you will become.

If you're spending time around people who are lazing around watching TV and playing video games, it's going to be hard to be successful.On the other hand, if you're spending your time with people who are motivated to achieve their goals and have a burning desire to do so, this will rub off on you, and push you towards your goals.

There is a famous saying that you are the average of the five people you spend the most with. This saying is very true.

Success encourages success.

You have to surround yourself with like-minded people, who pull you up, instead of pushing you down.

Don't be jealous of success, aspire to it.

7) Distraction:

We live in a world of distractions: Facebook, Instagram, Netflix.

Everything is designed to distract us. Learning to block out these distractions is vital.

While it's good to be distracted and take a break from time to time, if we're not careful, it can lead us nowhere.

There is a lot to be said for taking breaks. Walking is a great way to get your thoughts in order and refocus your mind. But if you return from these breaks and put off your work, you're only doing yourself a disservice.

Learning to block out distractions and focus on your work is an art form.

Once you master it, you will be on your way.

8) You:

You are your own biggest enemy.

Learn to control the voice in your head. We tend to get in our way all too often. Only you can make yourself a success. It has to come from within. Believe in yourself.

9) Criticism:

Embrace criticism.

Sometimes, having your ideas and products pulled apart can set us on the road to success.

This has happened to me a few times recently. My plans have been picked apart by friends. It would have been easy to get mad at that them, but, instead, I took what they were saying on board.

Criticism, as long as it's constructive, is one of the most tools you can use to improve yourself.

It's easy to get excited about something and only see positives. An outside opinion can help us to keep grounded, and see where we can still improve.

If you reject criticism, you reject progress.