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Few people actually perform to their full potential. Why is that? Why is there always a gap between your actual performance and your true potential? What’s holding you back?

My attempt to answer this crucial question takes the form of an acronym: FAILURE. I define “failure” as “falling short of your potential” or “seeing a gap between your potential and your performance.” In this article, I share the Seven Warning Signs of FAILURE.

F - Finger pointing. This means playing the blame game—scape-goating other people and circumstances or blaming your parents, or education. We all have a laundry list of familiar excuses. As Ben Franklin said, “A person who is good at making excuses is seldom good at anything else.”

A - Aligning with turkeys. The human turkey tends to be a complainer, energy-sapper, a negative force that denigrates, demotivates, and deflates those around him or her. The most troublesome turkeys tend to be members of our own families and friends. You must keep some distance between you and these pernicious turkeys.

I - Idle talk (no action). Idle talk speaks for itself. In fact, speaking is about all it does. We all know people who talk a good game. Talk is cheap. Taking action is what counts. A close cousin of idle talk is procrastination.

L - Lack of passion. I call this CBS—Chronic Blah Syndrome. This is the life-is-a-dress-rehearsal approach characterized by habit-forming apathy, nonchalance, detachment, and disinterest. Being chronically blasé about your job, project, marriage, relationship, or your life leads to only one place—a boring, uneventful, dead-end.

U - Undermining yourself. This involves negative self-talk. You must monitor that little voice in the back of your mind that says “You can’t do this” or “Who do you think you are?” If you question your abilities and underestimate your talents, you’re doomed to failure. Learn to stifle negative self talk.

R - Reactive mindset. This is the pin-ball tendency, letting yourself be bounced around by outside events and the agendas of other people. It’s the me-too approach. You follow the competition. In politics, it’s the “flip flop” mentality. Go where the wind blows you. This reactive tendency spells failure.

E - Embracing the dark side. This is a catch-all category for negative emotions like fear, worry, doubt, anger, guilt, envy, and hate. If left unchecked, these self-destructive demotivators will spell “failure.” Anyone who is ruled by these poisonous “dark side” emotions will end up like Ebenezer Scrooge—friendless, bitter, joyless, abandoned—before his transformation.

   Getting on the SUCCESS Track

What should you do if you notice yourself indulging in one or more of these negative tendencies? Fortunately, you have a choice. You can decide to change by using my simple, three-step method for turning things around: Recognize, Reject, and Replace. It takes honest self-reflection—and open communication—to recognize these warning signs, then reject that behavior or mindset, and replace it—but with what exactly?

I’ve developed a structure—the Architecture of Achievement—in which each of the FAILURE traps is paired with a SUCCESS counterpart.

• F - Finger pointing
• A - Aligning with turkeys
• I - Idle talk (no action)
• L - Lack of passion
• U - Undermining yourself
• R - Reactive mindset
• E - Embracing the Dark Side



• S - Shoulder responsibility
• U - Unite with eagles
• C - Carpe diem (seize the day)
• C - Cultivate enthusiasm
• E - Empower yourself
• S - Set your course
• S - Sow optimism

Here’s a brief description of each SUCCESS behavior:

1. Shoulder responsibility. This puts you in the driver’s seat, behind the wheel of what happens and your reaction to what happens. This “buck stops here” quality rejects finger pointing and blaming.
2. Unite with eagles. Eagles are people who inspire, motivate, and empower you to become all you can be. You can find Eagles everywhere. Read biographies of great people. Gravitate toward positive role models and mentors. Spend more time with Eagles, less time with Turkeys, if you hope to soar.
3. Carpe diem (seize the day). The antedote to idle talk is taking action. Successful people follow the Nike credo—they “just do it.” Don’t just talk about it. Take action and make it happen.
4. Cultivate enthusiasm. Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” Discover what excites you, what you’re passionate about, and spend your time doing that. This requires honest self-reflection.
5. Empower yourself. Instead of saying “I can’t,” try saying: “I could do that if …” This is an empowering way to get the ball rolling. Some obstacles might look scary or daunting at first. Monitor your self-talk. Turn the negative into positive, motivating thoughts. You can enhance your skills, find allies, seek advice, read up on the subject. Your potential expands with practice and training.
6. Set your course. Overcome aimless drifting with forward planning. Set your course. If you know where you’re headed, you have a much better chance of actually getting there. Aimless drift is a waste of potential. Establish and pursue your goals and dreams.
7. Sow optimism. We sow what we reap, and so it’s best to sow optimism. Keep a positive attitude. You become what you think about. What you think about becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.

The seven warning signs of FAILURE are intended to give you a wake-up call to help you recognize the habits and mindsets that keep you from maximizing your potential. Recognizing the warning signs allows you to turn things around and make positive changes before it’s too late. The warning signs can easily become negative habits. By following the Three Rs, you can close the gap between potential and performance. Deciding to “harness your HabitForce” is the key to turning FAILURE into SUCCESS. May the HabitForce be with you!  PE