According to the latest research, perfectionism is spreading like wildfire among young people. Scientists refer to it as a hidden epidemic. Studies have shown links between the desire to be perfect and anxiety, depression, and even suicide.

Do you focus on the smallest details and double-check everything, but you're never satisfied? Believe it or not, your perfectionism may be holding you back. It not only harms your health, but it can also ruin your chances.

Perfectionism and Stress Go Hand in Hand

The stronger your desire to make everything perfect, the higher your stress levels. Perfectionism leads to stress and burnout, draining your energy.

Perfectionism Fuels Procrastination

Many times, we're unable to finish a project because it fails to meet our expectations. There is no such thing as perfection. If that’s what you expect, you'll never get things done.

It Hinders Your Relationships

Nobody wants to work with someone whose hopes are sky-high. In general, perfectionists...

When you’re discussing goal setting, SMART has nothing to do with your intelligence. (But it is smart to use this technique!).

SMART is actually an acronym that represents the five necessary facets of setting goals, and if even one of them is omitted, your goals will be much harder to achieve. So let’s get into what SMART really means!

S – Specific

While behavior-based goals can be harder to quantify than outcome-based goals, by focusing on the specific behaviors that need development or strengthening, we can see that clearly defining these behaviors is possible. For instance, “I will close or turn off all electronic notifications while working on this project”, is basically stating that the habit of becoming distracted will be curbed in order to achieve more productivity.

M – Measurable

To be effective, the road towards achieving a goal must be able to be measured. In the example in the above paragraph, the measure would be how much more of the...

Setting behavior-based goals can be its own benefit. Once you see the benefits of managing your time better, seeking out positive interactions with others, and changing your attitude to manage stress more effectively, you’ll naturally want to put what you’ve learned into practice at work. Using behavior-based goals at work is a great way to get ahead.

Manage Yourself

When you start to take control of your behavior, you’ll notice that it becomes easier and easier to budget your time and perform under pressure. Using behavior-based goals at work makes it much easier to manage yourself. Almost without trying, you’ll find yourself getting more done and ending the day satisfied with your work. Put in the time and effort to improve yourself, and you’ll see that it pays big dividends at the office.

Manage Others

Another benefit of using behavior-based goals at work is an increased ability to manage others. If you’ve got a good handle on how to stay...

Ever wonder why some people are not afraid to take action, while others live in constant fear? Is it their mindset, their past experiences, or perhaps it's in their genes? The truth is that fear can have any of these causes and many others!

Sometimes, it's your mindset that's holding you back. Other times, you're afraid of change because you've failed in the past. One thing is for sure: you have the power to make your dreams come true and enjoy a fulfilling life.

Not sure where to start? Beware of these six things that are holding you back from taking action to reach success:

Living in the Past

Living in the past keeps you from enjoying the present. You're allowing your previous experiences (good or bad) to drive what you do today.

Let's say you launched a local marketing agency years ago. You were enthusiastic and dreamed big, and yet, you failed. Now you're afraid to start another business because you might have a similar experience.

Perhaps your business failed because it wasn't...

Goal setting is a key element in building and growing a successful business, but did you know that setting goals can help you in so many other aspects of your life?

Think of where you want to be in six months, a year, five years. What are your dreams? When you think about them, do you find yourself smiling and thinking ‘but I could never do that, never be that’?

But you can! If you want to live your dream life you need a plan, goals, and milestones to get you there. You can take control of your dreams and make them a reality, not just at work but in every area of your life.

1. Career and business
   Everyone has a career or business goals probably connected with what you’re already doing. But think big! Do you want to be an entrepreneur? Do you want to be CEO? Would you like to take a sabbatical and make art for a year? Whatever you want to be or do, this year, next year, in ten years’ time, if you have a plan of action and milestones to reach it, you can get...

“The journey into self-love and self-acceptance must begin with self-examination. Until you take the journey of self-reflection, it is almost impossible to grow or learn in life.” - Iyanla Vamant.

During self-reflection, some negative thoughts might come to mind. It’s easy to focus on the mistakes or problems you have rather than concentrating on your achievements or looking for new ways to solve your problems.

When we cage our minds by placing harsh judgment on our actions and continuously dwell in the past, we aren’t practicing self-reflection. Instead, we are simply beating ourselves up for human mistakes and issues that everyone encounters at one time or another.

Self-reflection is a way to make peace with your past. It’s the way to revisit your mistake and make a change. Self-reflection should bring about positive change and self-acceptance. It’s a way for us to grow and bring ourselves out from the black hole of criticism and mental...

Motivation is a fundamental factor in reaching your goals. When you start a new project, part of the joy and excitement is that great rush of energy. You have your goal that you want to achieve, you’re raring to go. And for the first days or weeks, everything’s going great.

But then you might have a set-back – your new running or gym habit might be interrupted by an injury or the seasonal flu. Or your car breaks down and you have to dip into the money you were saving for your vacation. Maybe you’re not hitting those regular weekly or monthly goals you set yourself, and you can see your dream slipping away. How can you stay motivated when everyday life threatens to throw you off-course?

Motivation works best when it’s positive. If you want to do something and it feels good, you’re much more likely to keep doing it. Getting your motivation right from the start increases your momentum and propels you toward success.

Here are some proven ways to stay...

Fear is a normal emotion. Sometimes, it can be beneficial because it makes you aware of risks, keeps you alert, and improves mental focus. However, too much fear will have the opposite effect. Don't fret as even the most successful people experience this feeling. The key is to prevent it from dictating your actions.

The Many Shades of Fear

This human emotion isn't all black and white. Fear can take many forms, from mild anxiety to downright debilitating overthinking. Under certain circumstances, it can protect you from danger and stop impulsive behaviors. But, because it's closely tied into your gut instinct, it can also help you improve your decision making.

But not all types of fear are good for you. In fact, this emotion often does more harm than good. It can keep you from reaching your full potential, fuel procrastination, and cause stress.

Let's say you want to quit your 9-to-5 job and start a creative agency or work as a freelance web designer. You might be afraid that you'll...

Think of your current life goals. How convinced are you that you’ll succeed? What’s stopping you from making that trip, losing that weight, learning that language, or running that half-marathon?

What if someone said you could accomplish your #1 goal in 100 days? That there is a formula that you can use to guarantee success? You can do it if you follow these five steps.

1. Keep your goals
   SMART Your goals need to be tight, focused, and concrete. Above all, they must be SMART.
   • Specific: work on keeping your goal as focused and defined as you can
   • Measurable: keep your goals tangible, whether it’s running 10 miles or writing 60,000 words of your novel
   • Attainable: keep your goal challenging but not impossible (check your emotional response to gauge this – do you feel excited or overwhelmed?)
   • Relevant: Set goals that speak to your heart and will move your life forward. Make them your goals, not your manager’s, or your friend’s or...

Motivation is what keeps us going to meet our goals. At the start of a project you have lots of motivation and energy, and you’re focused on success. But over time you might find you need some cheerleading, some encouragement to keep going and maintain your momentum.

Luckily, there are more resources available than ever to help you keep focused on achieving your goals. As well as books, podcasts, and apps, there are hundreds of blogs focused on helping you meet your goal, whether it’s losing weight, getting fit, building your business, or getting that promotion.

There are so many of them it can be a bit overwhelming. The internet is a huge resource, and it helps to have a degree of self-awareness and a critical eye when it comes to working out what sort of motivational help is right for you. How do you respond best – do you need something you can see – a visual reminder of your goal? Do inspirational quotes keep you going? Do you need structure or...