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Home » Business And Finance Articles » How Your Greatest Gifts Can Turn Into The Saboteur That Ruins Your Success

How Your Greatest Gifts Can Turn Into The Saboteur That Ruins Your Success

Have you ever noticed that the very skills or attributes that you feel most proud of can become your biggest nightmare? Maybe you can relate to this story.

Jane is a powerful consultant who makes upwards of $350,000 a year teaching her clients how to analyze their processes and improve in areas that help generate greater client and employee retention. Her clients pay her very well for her skills of analyzing the 'gaps' and implementing improvements. The crazy thing is she is so good at the analyzing and improving stuff that she forgets how to STOP in the other areas of her life. When Jane comes home, much to her family's dismay, she turns this highly-paid asset towards her husband and kids. Recently in our coaching, Jane realized that her family was feeling quite frustrated with her constant need to 'improve' on how tasks at home were handled.

Last week I was watching a show called High Net Worth on CNBC. It is a show that covers all kinds of important ways high net worth individuals spend their money - like wine clubs, Ferraris, investments, etc.

Recently, they interviewed Maria Elena Lagomasino, an Asset Manager, who pointed out an interesting tidbit of information:

Only 13% of the 1982 Forbes Wealthiest People List are still on the list today.

Why? Because the key attributes that cause you to get rich are the same attributes that cause you to lose it all.

Boy. That's really good to know isn't it? Your greatest strengths when over-used often become your greatest saboteur.

Here are some examples:

* You are good at analyzing data but when overdone, can cause you to become paralyzed and not make any decisions at all.

* You are comfortable taking big risks but when overdone you take so many risks that you find you have invested your time and money in things that didn't have a good return on investment (a.k.a. bright, shiny objects.)

* You have a true compassionate side but overused becomes a fear of focusing on results so you don't have any results, just lots of real rewarding relationships.

* You are an excellent negotiator but when over used, you can take it so far that you hire underpaid talent that doesn't get the job done properly and you end up having to do it over yourself (or worse yet, pay someone else to do it.)

* You have a lot of vision of what's possible but when out of balance, you are losing out on implementing the 'low hanging fruit' that's right in front of you (a.k.a. no results, only ideas.)

* You like getting things done. This is so important to you that you will focus working in the business vs. working on the business to the point that there is no business coming in the door!

Did you notice one or more of these examples as something that you do? Don't despair. Let's identify some better strategies to help you be more effective.

First, be aware of when a strength is being overused and turning into a detriment. Recognizing the pattern is important to be able to do it more effectively.

Second, learn when to switch strategies. Sometimes the strength or tactic you use to get from Point A to Point B is different than the one you use to get from Point B to Point C. For instance, building wealth takes big risks. Keeping wealth requires risk diversification.

Third, as a part of your planning, identify the skills or tactics that must be used to successfully complete the project. For instance, if you know you need to expand your program offerings and you are good at taking big uncalculated risks that put you in the hole financially; then you may want to 'test' your big idea with your target audience BEFORE you spend all the time designing and marketing it.

As the old saying goes, there are always two sides to every coin - but it's still a coin. Learning to manage the intensity of your strengths is key to making everything come together. It just takes practice - and sometimes a good coach!

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Online Buying Guide

These days you can order almost anything without ever leaving the comfort of your home. Online stores and auctions are great ways to shop for those hard to find items, and a great way to find deals in the process. As a consumer you need to be aware of the positive and negative aspects of online shopping. Below you'll find our online shopping awareness guide.

-First and for most, Know your seller and research who you are buying from. The internet is a great resource. Often you can find customer reviews of products as well as online businesses.

-Read the “About Us” Section of the Companies website. This often provides valuable information about the company and their customer relation policies.

-Look for a logo or endorsement seal on the company website. This is an indication, but not a guarantee, of the seller's reliability.

-Visit a website like ConsumerGuide.com. Their consumers' rate online stores and products.

-Internet auction sites usually post ratings of sellers based on comments from buyers.

-Check the total price. Make sure it includes all chargesâ€"shipping, handling,insurance and taxes. Make sure you are clear on what you are buying.

-Watch for words like “refurbished,” “reconditioned,” “close-out,” or “discontinued.”

-Protect your personal information. Use a secure website to help protect your credit card from misuse.

-Never send your credit card number by e-mail because e-mails are not secure.

-Use a software encription program such as Software Oasis Encryption Utility . These will hide your credit card numbers when you purchase online.

-Give your credit card, debit card, or bank account number only if you're using that account to pay.

-Keep a record of your purchase. Keep track of what you ordered, when, the price, and how you paid (check, money order, charge, etc.). Also save any information the seller gives you such as product description, delivery date, cancellation policy, privacy policy, warranties, and order confirmation numbers.

-Keep track of your order. If it's late, see Your Rights: Shopping from Home

-When buying from an online auction Make sure you know the rules of the auction. Only buy from reputable auction sites such as www.ebay.com.

-Can you cancel a bid? Don't assume that the rules used by one auction site apply to any other auction site.

-Does the auction site provide free insurance or guarantees for items that are not delivered or what the seller claimed?

-Learn the value of the item you are bidding on. Establish your top price and stick to it.

-Don't bid on an item you don't intend to buy. If you're the highest bidder, you are legally responsible for paying for it. Auction companies often bar those who back out of a deal from future bidding unless that can work out a deal with the seller.

-If the seller can't accept payment by credit card, use an escrow service such as iKobo Money Transfer. In doing so your money is held by a third-party until you get your purchase and approve release of your payment to the seller.