I’ve been reflecting on life quite a bit lately.
I’ve realized it’s rather simple and great. Life is beautiful and can truly be amazing, but WE tend to complicate it.
Of course life is complex in a general sense. As in, how did we get here? How does this all exist?
But that’s not what I’m referring to in this article.
I’m talking about our day-to-day lives. We’re only here for a short time and we don’t really need to understand the meaning behind it all.
More importantly, is that you’re actually living and creating the life you want.
We all go through different experiences and circumstances, but most things in life we overcomplicate. The things you say, think, feel, do, etc. have an impact.
So, let’s try to stop making our own lives so complicated:
*NOTE: This list includes things that I tend to do very often as well. Changing things like this requires constant work. I know it’s not easy to just shift how you do things, but that’s why personal development is constant and requires effort.
1) Waiting to reach a goal to feel happy/successful
Just because you haven’t achieved those goals yet does not mean you can’t be happy OR that you’re not successful.
We get so trapped in wanting to get certain results that we forget to look around and recognize that life isn’t so bad right now.
Once you reach that goal you will just be striving for the next goal. That’s not a bad thing, but the point I’m trying to make is that the anticipation and journey of getting there is way better than actually having the result.
Keep that in mind the next time you’re feeling down about slow progress.
2) Expecting everyone to think/be like you or be a certain way
We are all unique individuals. Of course, it would be great if people thought like you and did everything like you, but that’s not reality.
It’s also common to expect people around you to think/behave a certain way.
We create agendas for how our parents, friends, partners, etc. “should” be. Then we get upset when they aren’t that way.
This will only create frustration and disappointment for yourself.
People around you may say or do things that you don’t agree with, but sometimes we just have to accept that. And if it is not something you want to be a part of, you can decide to not be around them.
3) Not controlling your emotions
When you react out of emotion (especially negative emotion), things tend to get complicated.
You may say something you don’t mean or do something you’ll regret. Things can change in a matter of seconds and in my opinion it’s simply not worth it.
Controlling your emotions requires discipline and mental strength, both of which will create a positive ripple effect.
When you get to a point where other people’s actions don’t trigger an emotional response, you will feel greatly empowered.
4) Having the wrong mindset
Naturally, humans tend to favor negative emotions/thoughts. I’m a firm believer that the energy you put out is what you get back.
This doesn’t mean you need to force positivity all the time. More so what I mean is that your mindset dictates how you react and act in everyday situations.
Remember that ALL circumstances are neutral and YOU think thoughts and have feelings that create a certain result based on your actions/reactions.
Much of what we experience in life is just your mindset. Stress, toxic relationships, lack of success, and even all the positive moments.
5) Procrastinating on important things
I know you want to create a better life, but how uncomfortable are you willing to feel to get there?
Procrastination doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean you’re stressed and it doesn’t mean you should give up. It’s just a habit.
So if you’re procrastinating on things that are supposedly important to you, then you first need to recognize that you have a bad habit (procrastinating often) that you need to break.
When you procrastinate on those things you’re doing yourself a disservice by not following through or showing up for yourself.
Procrastination can not only lead to falling behind on your work/schedule but also low self-esteem and disappointment in yourself.
6) Trying to find the secret answers
Whatever you keep trying to find the answers to…you already know.
How to be productive, how to be successful, how to be disciplined, how to manage your time, how to be more positive, and whatever else you think there are magical answers to.
Now obviously I want you to read those things because the majority of my blog covers personal development, but don’t forget to actually apply what you learn.
I love ‘self-help’ as much as the next person and sometimes it’s nice to get motivated from content, but THERE ARE NO SECRET ANSWERS.
You know what you’ve got to do and what it takes, just go after it and stop feeling like there is more to it.
7) Over-analyzing everything
We over-analyze things in the past, present, and even things that haven’t happened yet!
This will cause you to dwell on the past, suffer in the moment, and worry about the future. All of which complicates things.
I have overanalyzed text messages which only caused me to feel angry and tense, then I see that person and everything I was expecting was completely wrong. I put myself in a bad mood for no reason.
Thinking about the worst-case scenario, making assumptions, and blowing small things out of proportion are common signs that you are overanalyzing.
It’s such a waste of time and energy.
8) Trying to control what you can’t control
Whenever I feel stressed or overwhelmed about a situation I make a list of things I can control about it. I then take action on that list and accept that I can’t control the rest.
There are quite a few things we can’t control but most importantly you can’t control other people or most outcomes.
You can influence others, but what they say, do, think you can’t do anything about.
Same goes for any outcomes. You can try to create a certain result but nothing is guaranteed.
Letting go of control is a good thing. This too will save time and energy.
9) Comparing ourselves/lives to others
This is probably the most important of this whole list.
We compare ourselves to people in all aspects of life and it literally does us no good.
We think we need to be where others are or we’re not good enough.
We think there are rules to life and how to live it.
We think other people are better and happier because they reached a certain milestone.
None of it matters.
This is the one that REALLY makes you feel bad about your life. You get upset for no reason because you’re not appreciating the fact that everyone has a different journey.
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10) Not taking care of your health and finances
This list isn’t complete without mentioning these
If you want to make your life more complicated by inviting health problems, aches, pains, confidence issues, gut problems, etc. then keep making unhealthy choices.
If you want to make your life more complicated by being in debt forever, living paycheck to paycheck, not having money for emergencies, etc. then keep blowing your money.
Both of these are MAJOR causes of stress and struggle in people’s lives but you can prevent many, many future complications by focusing on this now and forever.
RELATED POST: 9 Ways to Simplify Your Life
Allow your life to be great.
Take responsibility for your life and I swear things get more simple. Life is a series of decisions and we really have no need to fret about the small things.