Why they were hard to learn, and how they impacted my career growth.
1: Not selling my skills and abilities (or to the wrong audience).
This limited opportunities for promotions, mentorship, and different career tracks. I find this difficult because of my local norms that frown on overt self promotion. And because I thought (wrongly) that my performance spoke for itself.
2: Ignoring real limitations in favor of complacency.
This is waiting for a problem to become the elephant in the room. I had a later start gaining skills in work that is personably sustainable (non physical). It is easy to let complacency overcome facts when making decisions.
3: Not actively working towards building relationships.
This, much like #1, limited and caused missed opportunities. I prefer relationships to be organic, and what I mean is there needs to be a good reason for me to reach out. It turns out there doesn't need to be a reason - it can be casual.
4: Believing that only hard work will be rewarded.
This led to burnout, stress, and anxiety from overwork. I was overly attached to the idea that hard work brings reward - without contextualizing it. I neglected the personal and professional friction that comes from a perfectionistic view of what hard work is.
5: Waiting to begin a side business.
Without a side business (or actively working towards starting one) I was completely reliant on work for fulfillment and envisioning my future. I didn't believe I had the time, knowledge, or ability to get started. I was wrong - it just begins with taking the first step.