Perhaps the most devastating part of being human is the fact that we sometimes do not know when we are making ourselves miserable and ruining our possibilities for a fruitful future. Often times we feed our misery with a lifestyle that seems comfortable and logical when it is really preventing us from taking advantage of life’s glorious opportunities and enlightening experiences.
There is, however, no truth in anyone’s misery. The only truth is that we should all find no excuse to stop us from doing what we can to seek the greatest rewards this world has to offer.
Misery is caused by bad habits and personality traits we just cannot seem to kick. It’s time to purge these habits, learn from your mistakes and not let depression conquer your life. These are the 7 habits you need to cease to rid your life of what’s holding you back from seeing the beauty of the world you live in:
1. Sticking exclusively with what you already know.
Some of the most successful people have said that they never stopped learning, even on their last days on this earth. Life is a never ending lesson to all of us and each day brings something new. You cannot be stubborn and only stick to what you know because it will get you nowhere. To open up the doors to happiness, you must venture outside of the box and engage in whatever seems tempting or interesting to your heart and soul.
Life’s richness does not come from always residing within familiar and comfortable territory. It’s when you venture out, away from the familiar, that you grow stronger and more capable. You need to allow yourself to be open to new ideas, feelings and experiences. Find the healthy change and discover new ways to make you happy. Don’t ever stop exploring.
2. Neglecting the balance of activity and rest.
You are not superman so don’t try to be. For human performance to be at its highest there needs to be a balance between focused activity and rest and renewal. In other words, most successful endeavors look something like this: activity, rest, activity, rest, etc. And this is as true for long-term goals as it is for short-term tasks.
You need to be responsible for the balance you create in your life. The balance between work and family, activity and rest and getting things done and leaving things undone. There is a correct time and place for everything. Creating a balance in your life will never make you feel overwhelmed or overworked because you will be doing what is healthiest for mind, body and soul at all times.
While drive and focus are important, if you’re going to get things done right and be truly successful, you need to balance the various dimensions of what you need to make you feel healthy, including the basic foundation of activity and rest.
3. Following the path of least resistance.
Stop being lazy and always taking the easy way out. It takes hard work and strength to take the road less traveled. There are many obstacles and forms of adversity that will try to prevent you from making the most out of the time you have been given on this earth.
Luckily, the energy and dedication to conquer these things will always be there for you if you just call for it. Knowing that you have past these bumps in the road will provide a feeling of accomplishment without compare.
Live by the truth, do what you know is right, put forth the necessary effort, and keep pushing forward. Exercise your strengths every day, and you’ll always be stronger and more capable of going the extra mile than you were the day before.
4. Putting up with the same exact daily disappointments
Life doesn’t need to be about disappointments if you live beyond it. You can never stop what has already happened but you can let it make you stronger and more determined. The journey to spiritual maturity requires that you review the events in your life to find the wisdom and purpose they contain.
A time comes in your life when you finally get it. When in the midst of all your fears and old hurts you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere, the voice inside your head cries out – “ENOUGH!” This moment is the turning point that leads to success and happiness. Close the doors on your past and open those to your future. Never be afraid to start a new chapter in life.
5. Obsessing over the pain.
Pain will always be there whether you obsess about it or not. It is not something we can run away from or never have to experience. You don’t have to forget what happened in the past, but you cannot let it destroy you. Conquer the pain; don’t let it conquer you.
As the saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Stop letting something that pissed you off in the past bother you as if it was an ongoing torturous experience that never ends, still happening right in front of your eyes to this day.
Each painful moment provides a challenge we must overcome to get what we want. Rising above these challenges and taking control of your life is vital if you want to live a prideful life of dignity and respect.
One step at a time, one foot in front of the other, you can get through your current troubles, one way or another.
6. Ignoring your passions.
Your passion is there for a reason. It’s telling you what you can do to make a name for yourself and have a valuable impact on the world you live in.
It’s what you love to do, what makes you feel like life is worth living, so why not make sure that you are waking up every morning and doing it for a purpose? When you truly lose yourself in something you love, you will eventually find yourself there too.
Thus, a truly fulfilling life is lived by letting your passions drive your dreams, and then losing yourself in the process of making them come true. It’s the role you play in the status of what you are passionate about that will make you feel most fulfilled, so never give up on the things that move you unless you want a life of misery and regret.
7. Waiting for a miracle.
Nothing will ever fall out of the sky and land in your hands for you as a reward that came with no work. Luck happens when opportunity meets hard work. You need to be dedicated to what you love and how it can bring you value and respect instead of waiting for a spot to open up at an already successful company. Miracles don’t happen so easily, especially to those who don’t seem to be worthy of them.
Often the difference between a successful person and a person who struggles to make progress is not one’s superior abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one’s ideas, to take calculated risks, and to act without fear of rejection.
In other words, unproductive people sit and wait for the magic beans to arrive; the rest of us just get up and get to work.
Preston Waters | Elite.
