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When you were a kid, did you want to grow up to be an astronaut, a
singer or an engineer? If so, how’s that working out for you? Hopefully,
it’s going great and you are living the life of your dreams. But for
the rest of you who are not, here are 13 signs that you might be wasting
your life… but you don’t want to admit it;
You spend too much time doing things you shouldn’t be doing.
Video games. Reality TV. Surfing the ‘net. Stuffing your face with
too much food. Drinking too much. And the list goes on. Take a serious
look at your life. Where are you spending the majority of your time? And
does it serve you well? Is it leading to a better life? Is it laying
the foundation for a bright future? If not, then you need to reevaluate
your routine activities and make changes.
You find yourself complaining a lot.
I know people who are constantly overwhelmed with life, and they
never cease to tell me. Are you one of those people? Do you complain
about your job, your boss, your salary, your neighbors or your spouse?
If you do, then you are doing nothing but exuding negative energy.
Negativity doesn’t change things. It keeps you stuck. So change your
thoughts and talk about what you appreciate about your life, not what
you don’t like.
You don’t feed your mind.
If you’re not continually growing and learning as a person, then you
are stagnant – just like a still pond that doesn’t move and grows green
gunk on it. That’s what your mind does if you don’t keep it active and
learn new things. Positive challenges in your life will expand your
mind, not send it backwards.
You have a lot of negative self-talk.
Self-talk can make or break your life. As Henry Ford said, “Whether
you think you can, or think you can’t… either way, you’re right.” If you
tell yourself that you’re not smart enough to get that promotion or
start a business, then you’re right. If you tell yourself you’re too
exhausted to put effort into changing your life, then you’re right.
Whatever you tell yourself becomes your reality. So closely monitor what
you say to yourself, because you will find that your life matches your
thoughts.
Do you have a passion for anything? I know a lot of people who think
they don’t have a passion. But that’s never the case. There
has to be something that you enjoy doing. So you need to rediscover what excites you, and then do more of it.
You don’t plan for your future.
While it’s always great to live in the “now” and “be in the moment,”
sometimes you need to look ahead to see where you want to go. If you
don’t have a goal or a plan, then you are like a boat that is wandering
aimlessly in the ocean hoping to end up somewhere good. But you can’t do
that. You have to make a step-by-step guide to get where you want to
go. Just like a GPS gets you to a destination, you need your own inner
GPS to guide you.
You spend too much time with people who don’t contribute to your growth.
It’s easy to get stuck hanging out with people who are not making you
feel like a better person. But if you keep doing that, then you will
stay stagnant or get pulled down with them. I like to call them “Energy
Vampires.” They suck the life out of you and give you nothing positive
in return. Instead, go find growth-oriented people to be around.
You’re addicted to your phone.
Sure, cell phones are super cool gadgets that can leave us entranced
when we use them. While that’s fun, think about all the time you are
wasting with your phone. Even worse, think about all the relationships
that might be affected. Maybe you’re texting or searching the internet
while you’re having dinner with your spouse or kids. If you are, you’re
missing out on meaningful time you can spend with your loved ones – or
time you could devote to making a plan for your future.
You spend money on things that don’t matter.
There is a difference between a “need” and a “want.” I’m sure we all
learned that in kindergarten. However, in today’s society, we have
blurred the lines quite a bit (see #8… the cell phone). In fact, I know
people who can’t pay their mortgage, but still have the fanciest gadgets
on the planet. If you stop to think about it, there is very little that
we actually need. Food, water, shelter and love are some of those
things. All the rest are just bonuses. So look at what you’re spending
your money on and see if you can make adjustments. Maybe you can use the
money you save to invest in your future.
You don’t get enough sleep.
I’m not a medical doctor, but I have read enough books to know how
vitally important sleep is. I could write 20 pages on it. But I
obviously don’t have enough room in this short article. Sleep is crucial
for good health. If you’re too busy to get enough sleep or if you
simply have a bad habit of staying up until the wee hours of the
morning, you should re-evaluate your habits.
You’re not taking care of your body.
Not only is sleep essential to your health, so is food and exercise. I
know I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. But eating a
balanced, healthy diet and moving your body around truly does have more
positive effects other than weight loss. It affects your mental attitude
and overall well-being. So take a look at your diet and level of
activity. You might find that making a few small changes will greatly
improve your life.
You don’t leave your comfort zone.
I know how easy it is to live in a comfort zone. In fact, when I go
to a familiar restaurant, I always order the same thing. Not because I’m
afraid to try something new, but because I like the food I normally
order. But that’s not the kind of comfort zone I’m talking about. I’m
talking about taking a risk that will improve your life. And keep in
mind, there is a difference between a “risk” and a “calculated risk.”
Any risk has the possibility to be deadly, but a calculated risk is one
in which you’ve weighed all options and thus come up with a good,
sensible plan of action.
You are living a life you do not like.
The way I measure success is by someone’s level of happiness. Are you
happy? If not, then you should change something! Even a feeling of
contentment or satisfaction doesn’t tell you that you’re living life to
the fullest. Life should be exciting! So if you’re not enjoying life,
take a look at some of the changes you can make to get you to a better
place.
If any of these 13 points sounded like you, don’t despair. You can
make changes. But the first change you need to make is getting rid of
the idea that you can’t do it. Many times, your biggest obstacle is your
own thought process. So start there. Change your thinking – then change
your life!
If any of these 13 points sounded like you, don’t despair. You can make
changes. But the first change you need to make is getting rid of the
idea that you can’t do it. Many times, your biggest obstacle is your own
thought process. So start there. Change your thinking – then change
your life!
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