What keeps people from succeeding? In this multi-part series, I'll discuss behaviors and other factors involved in staying in a stuck state and never moving ahead. Some examples of this are:

watching television
playing video games
frivolous pursuits online
substance abuse
resistance to change

One of the biggest barriers to success often involves engaging in activities that consume a lot of time and have little or no return for the time invested. My favorite example is television. Someone once said that TV is the greatest mind control tool any dictator could want. I have asked people on occasion why they don't spend more time on personal development topics like investing, finance, or self improvement etc and the first line of defense is "I don't have time". Yet they can tell you about Monday night football or what happened in the latest episode of some sitcom.

If you could learn to make an extra few thousand dollars or more per year in the same time that it takes to watch TV 1 or 2 nights a week would you do it? Sadly, it never occurs to most people to do this because it is far too easy to sit down and watch TV rather than learn something new. Yet many of these same people often wonder why they don't have it better off in life.

One of the keys to improving any area of your life besides the desire to change or succeed is the understanding that you need to be in a constant learning state. This doesn't mean you have to take college courses - you can learn a lot through a variety of ways; online resources, books, seminars and clubs to name a few.