You’ll hear that successful people think differently --
that they are somehow hard-wired for high
performance. There's the notion that some
entrepreneurs perfectly combine analytical and
reasoning skills with optimism, creativity, problem
solving and people skills.

But successful people entertain the same kind of
negative and self-limiting thoughts that everyone else has. What differs is their identification and reaction to them.

Here's a roundup of thoughts that absolutely limit,
kill, crush and smash success. Catch these thoughts
as they arise and flip them on their head.

1. Experience.

"I'm not an expert."

Do you tell yourself over and over again, I'm not an
expert? No one starts off doing anything as an
expert. Expertise is built up over time. You have to
make yourself an expert. When considering a project or business, don’t ask if you’re an expert.

Rather, ask if you love the subject matter.
If you're passionate about the subject, you’ll do
everything you can to soak in as much information as possible. For most fields of business, two years of intense
learning can make you a top expert.

2. Originality.

"It's already been done."

Have you ever told yourself the self-defeating
thought, It's already been done. Yes, it's true that
some ideas are actually new. The futuristic proton
beam that destroys cancer cells without touching
other cells comes to mind. But if you’re coming up
with an idea for an app, probably similar products
already exist.

If you’re already entrenched and working inside a
particular industry, you may see your ideas unfold
elsewhere in the marketplace and be developed by
other people. But that doesn’t matter one bit.

If you know that a lot of people need your product or service, the fact that competitors exist validates your plans. In business, it’s good to be first, but as PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has said, it’s better to be last.

3. Connections.

"I don’t know the right people."

You’ve probably had “it’s all whom you know” beaten into your head since birth. It’s true to a certain extent that knowing key people matters. But the problem is that many people accept their current circle of contacts (their colleagues, clients, friends and social media networks) as the limited resource they have to work with.

Using a lack of contacts or connections as an excuse for failure is a self-limiting thought. Tap the contacts you have. But if you don’t know the right people, make it a point to get to the right people.

4. Funds.

"You need money to make money."

It’s easy to think that there's some reason that other
people are successful -- that it's because they went to better schools or have superior personal skills.
Indeed many people point to others' success by
noting that they had the money and resources.
It’s easy to use lack of money as an excuse for lack of progress but in many business areas, limited
resources can be a blessing.

Lack of resources might prompt you to keep your
operations lean and mind fresh and sharpen your
focus. You can be extremely successful by being smart about expenses and business planning.

5. Ability.

"I always …"

When you run your own business, the lines between
your personal and professional life blur. Your
personal attributes often dictate the success of your
business. When you think about yourself, you often
think in terms what you are now.

But when you think of your business, think of what it could be. The trick is to think of yourself much the
way you consider your business -- as a growth
vehicle.

Compiled by: Miles Jennings