It’s easy to assume that success is purely down to luck alone, but there’s actually much more to it than that.

People fail to achieve their personal and professional goals for many reasons. However, the biggest factor that affects their ability to succeed is their character.

Here are six personality traits that are shared by most unsuccessful people:

1. They don’t believe in what they do

The majority of unsuccessful people are not invested personally in what they do. They don’t care much for the overall success of the company they work for, nor do they try to be the very best they can be in their day-to-day lives.

On the other hand, successful people genuinely believe in what they’re doing, whatever their role. Whether they’re in customer service, sales or they’re a company director – they give 110% in what they do. Regardless of whether they’re building their own company, writing a book or innovating new technology, they make it easier to motivate themselves every day by making their goals truly meaningful.

In other words, they work with true passion and dedication, rather than feeling like their job is just a 9-5 chore that they’re obliged to do for that pay check at the end of every month.

2. They don’t recognise that success is a journey

Success is not just a destination – it’s an ongoing process. Unsuccessful people tend to treat success as a singular goal, i.e. “When I get that promotion, then I’ll be successful!” In reality, though, this is not the case. Ask any ‘successful’ person and they’ll tell you – achieving sustained success is a constant battle. It isn’t about reaching a certain level and then thinking “Okay, I’m done now.” It’s about continuously improving, learning and moving forwards.

Every journey comes with twists and turns, and all successful people are prepared for this. They won’t give up at the first hurdle. Instead, they’ll take failures in their stride and continue working towards their goals.

3. They allow fear to control them

“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever could.” – Suzy Kassem

Unsuccessful people tend to worry too much about taking risks. Unfortunately for them, most successes are, in fact, the result of hard work and taking risks.

Naturally, there will be times when risks don’t pay off. You’ll miscalculate something, forget to account for something or just get a bit unlucky with a venture. That’s okay. The key is to learn from these mistakes and have the confidence to try again.

4. They’re negative

Your outlook has a lot of influence over the path that your life takes. Successful people often optimists. Rather than becoming angry, upset or frustrated with the problems they face, they will be more likely to react in a more positive way.

This manner of thinking changes the outcome of more situations than you’d imagine. Maintaining a positive outlook helps to minimise negative effects of tough situations. It helps you to focus on finding solutions and alternatives, instead of becoming stressed and getting stuck in a rut.

5. They think they know it all

Assuming you know everything is a one-way ticket to failure. Successful people are those who accept that they can’t be experts in every field. Instead, they focus on learning and improving themselves every day. They aren’t afraid to ask for help, delegate or consult thought leaders where relevant.

Unsuccessful people have a habit of thinking that their way of doing things is the only way. They’re narrow-minded and don’t look at situations from different perspectives. This stubborn-mindedness often results in unhappy outcomes.

6. They can’t take criticism

This one is an important one. Unsuccessful people react very badly to any kind of criticism.

Whether it comes from your friends, family or colleagues, constructive criticism should always be welcomed. It offers invaluable insight into different perspectives and opinions, which helps you to improve continuously.

Even if people are being critical for the sake of it, successful people won’t take it to heart or become disheartened over it. They understand that you can’t please everyone, and they continue to work towards their goals.

What other traits have you seen in unsuccessful people? Leave us your thoughts in the comments section below!