Have you ever wondered why success seems to come so easily to some people while it remains so elusive to others? If you fall into the latter camp, you may wonder what you’re doing wrong. We have answers. More than 3 decades of brain imaging work and clinical practice at Amen Clinics have taught us so much about people who aren’t reaching their potential. Based on over 170,000 brain scans and tens of thousands of patients, Amen Clinics has identified 9 brain-related traits and habits that can hold you back from reaching your career goals. Find out if you have any of these unhelpful career habits and how to fix them.
9 brain-related traits and habits that can hold you back from reaching your career goals:
1. Taking impulsive risks.
Are you the type who thinks you need to “go big or go home?” Taking risks is necessary in business, but the key is taking
measured risks. If you make major decisions impulsively without performing your due diligence, it can cost you dearly and keep you from advancing up the ranks. For example, one Amen Clinics patient named Adam excitedly purchased new technology for his department after seeing a dazzling presentation at a conference. He neglected to investigate how the next-generation tech would integrate with their current system, and it ended up being a failure that cost tens of thousands of dollars. When a partnership opportunity came up, Adam was passed over even though he had been at the company longer than others.
The Fix: Brain SPECT imaging shows that impulsivity and excessive risk-taking are often associated with low activity in the brain’s frontal lobes, which is common in people with ADD/ADHD. To boost activity in this region, be sure to engage in physical exercise every day and try nutritional supplements such as rhodiola, ginseng, green tea extract, ashwagandha, and L-tyrosine.
2. Letting fear, anxiety, and worries keep you stuck.
Are you so afraid of failure that you shy away from taking any risks? These people tend to underachieve. Take Shelly, for example. She was so worried about failing that she didn’t follow up with a potential client about a freelance project that could have dramatically advanced her career. The project would have required her to stretch her skillset, and she wasn’t sure she was up to the task, so she didn’t even call the client back. She’s still stuck doing the same low-level projects as when she started her career over a decade ago.
The Fix: Fear of failure is often seen in people with too much activity in the brain’s anxiety centers. Calming the brain with stress reduction techniques and the nutraceutical GABA may be helpful.
3. Being too negative.
Are you one of those people who fosters a culture of negativity at work? Do you tend to notice what’s wrong with the work other employees are doing? Do you point out to your colleagues why a new initiative will never work? Do you tell your supervisor why the new hire isn’t up to snuff? Being overly negative brings everyone down. It doesn’t inspire others to perform at their best, drains energy, and squashes creativity. That is not a recipe for success.
The Fix: Negativity is associated with overactivity in the brain’s limbic system, our emotional centers, and can be a sign of depression. Making a concerted effort to look for the positive rather than immediately zeroing in on what’s wrong is the key to changing your outlook.
4. Being a rigid thinker.
If your personal motto is “It’s my way or the highway,” it could put you on the expressway to the unemployment line, or it could seriously impact your company’s bottom line. For example, if you’re constantly butting heads with your boss, it doesn’t bode well for your career advancement. Or if you insist that colleagues or subordinates adhere strictly to your playbook, it can backfire and cause them to jump ship.
The Fix: Brain imaging shows that people who are rigid thinkers tend to have too much activity in an area called the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG). This can cause you to get stuck in certain thinking patterns or actions even if they aren’t helpful to your career or business. To promote more flexible thinking and collaboration, boost serotonin with complex carbohydrates (think sweet potatoes, not potato chips) and the nutraceuticals 5HTP and B6.
5. Procrastinating and missing deadlines.
Do you habitually put off assignments until the last minute then turn them in late? Being unreliable can be a career killer. Jessica came to Amen Clinics when she was in jeopardy of losing her job as a paralegal in a large firm. Although she was highly intelligent, Jessica had a tendency of waiting to file court documents until her boss reminded her that they were due. She needed help learning how to focus and get her work done on time.
The Fix: Jessica’s brain scans showed low activity in the prefrontal cortex, an area involved in planning, focus, and follow-through. To boost focus, Jessica began meditating daily, made sleep a priority, and started eating a higher-protein, lower-carbohydrate diet.
6. Thinking you’re special and don’t have to follow the rules.
When the HR department sends out a link to a new training course that all employees must complete, do you roll your eyes and delete the email? Do you have a tendency to skip weekly mandatory Zoom meetings because you have more important things to do? Thinking you deserve special treatment can breed resentment in others, and it certainly doesn’t put you on a path to promotion.
The Fix: Thinking that everyday work activities are beneath you is a sign that you may be under the sway of what Dr. Daniel Amen calls the Special, Spoiled, or Entitled Dragons in his book Your Brain Is Always Listening. These inner dragons breathe fire on the emotional brain and drive behavior in ways that don’t serve you or your career. These particular dragons often originate if your parents never said no to you or did everything for you, creating a sense of entitlement. To tame these dragons, start taking responsibility for your life and practice seeing things from others’ points of view.
7. Being unable to cope with criticism or feedback.
If you crumble when someone critiques your work, it can hold you back from learning from your mistakes and going for your goals. This is often seen in people who are perfectionists. Being a
perfectionist is associated with toxic thinking that your work has to be the best ever or it isn’t good enough. Hearing even the smallest critique from a coworker or supervisor can send you into a dark spiral of thinking you’re a failure or aren’t worthy of a bigger job. It leads to self-sabotage that holds you back.
The Fix: People who are perfectionists are often filled with ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) that make you feel bad about yourself. To combat toxic thinking, learn to challenge your negative thoughts.
8. Being forgetful.
Do you walk away from important meetings with every intention of following through on the great ideas but quickly forget what was discussed or what actions you were supposed to take? Do certain aspects of your job slip your mind? Do you forget to do the accounting, payroll, or account reports? Or do you have trouble remembering people’s names? Having memory problems can sabotage your success in so many ways.
The Fix: Finding out what’s causing your memory issues is the key to fixing it. Brain SPECT imaging can help determine if memory loss is a sign of early dementia; related to stress, anxiety, or depression; a side effect of medication you’re taking; or something else.
9. Not treating mental health issues.
Did you know that having untreated ADD/ADHD, anxiety,
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or other issues can get in the way of your success at work? Not seeking treatment because you’re worried about the stigma attached to mental health problems or because you don’t think you deserve to take the time to invest in your mental well-being can hold you back from performing at your best.
The Fix: Seeking professional help can help you be the best you can be, so you can make more progress toward your goals.
Problems with focus, anxiety, negativity, and other mental health issues can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, clinical evaluations, and therapy for adults, teens, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.
