7 self-sabotaging activities you must stop
In our fast paced, over communicated world a lot of people are so busy that they miss living in the present moment. Many people can’t enjoy where they are because they have somewhere else to be. They can’t build lasting relationships because they have to go meet someone else. We live in a society bogged down with so much clutter that we can’t live in our present.
Don’t miss living your present
It is easily to get caught up in the busyness of life that we miss living our present. A few years ago I found myself running on fumes because I was so busy living for tomorrow that I failed to live in my today.
I had to be at this meeting. I had to be involved in this venture. I had to follow up with this person. It became a never ending cycle. I was sabotaging my present.
I looked busy. I looked productive. But, in reality I burned out. I was not enjoying life. I was sabotaging my relationships, health, wealth and dreams. I knew had to make some changes.
I had to separate myself from people, places and possessions that I allowed to sabotage my present. I had to move in a different direction in order to enjoy life. What do you benefit to work yourself to exhaustion and not enjoy your life? What good is it to have a dream and never live it out?
Don’t over complicate life
Don’t get so busy looking and thinking ahead that you miss the great things happening now. Don’t make the mistake of missing out on living today worrying about tomorrow.
Living in the present takes work. It requires you to approach life differently. It demands you to focus your energy on today. When you take action to cut out the distractions and simplify your life, you learn to appreciate and notice life as it is happening.
The birds will sound clearer. The grass will look greener. The roses will smell fresher. The sky will look bluer. You will see life the way God meant for you to see it.
Don’t get to the end of your life and regret that you didn’t live in your present. You only get one shot at life and you don’t want to mishandle it.
Take a moment to take inventory of your life. What present events have you forfeited worrying about tomorrow? I am not saying that you don’t set goals for tomorrow, save for a rainy day or concern yourself about your future.
As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Make your new ending by living in your present. But, before you can begin this process of transformation you must stop self-sabotage.
If you are ready to live in your present so that you have a better today and brighter future, here are seven self-sabotaging activities you must stop.
7 Self-Sabotaging Activities
1. Stop spending quality time with discouraging people. Life is too short to spend time with people who live in a perpetual state of discouragement. Every time you see them, they have nothing good to say. Every word that comes out of their mouth is doom and gloom.
According to them nothing is good. They complain about the economy. They gripe about their job. They criticize the government. A conversation with these people will leave you discouraged and disgusted with life. It is your choice to spend time with discouragers or encouragers.
2. Stop running from your problems. Face them head on. No, it won’t be easy. You may have to confront a love one who caused you pain. You may have to give up an unhealthy habit to move forward. You may have to face a tough issue that you ran from years ago. It may be time to take a stand.
Running from your problems does not solve them, it only makes things worse. If you don’t handle your problems quickly, they will turn into bigger problems later. Make up your mind today to stop running from your problems and start resolving them.
3. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that is trying to make you like everyone else. You were designed to be you and no one else. If you attempt to imitate someone else, you cancel out who you were designed to be.
Don’t become discouraged because someone is doing something great. There will always be someone prettier, smarter, younger and faster but they will never be you. Don’t change who you are to imitate someone else. Be yourself and let the world love the real you.
4. Stop holding onto the past. Don’t let the past hold you hostage. Don’t allow the past to keep your life stagnant. The past is gone and it will never come back. No matter how many times you replay the events in your mind, you cannot change what happened.
Holding on to the past whether good or bad, can distract you from what you need to get done today. You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
5. Stop holding onto unforgiveness. Don’t live your life with unforgiveness. Holding onto unforgiveness hurts you more than the person you don’t forgive. Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my joy and disrupt my peace.”
Forgiveness gives you victory over the situation and allows you to let go, find peace and liberate yourself. The freedom of forgiveness is not necessarily for the other person but it’s for you.
6. Stop living in a comfort zone. The desire to remain in our comfort zone is natural and because of that instinctive need, we jump on the someday bandwagon and push our goals and dreams to the side until another day. Unfortunately nothing ever happens.
Tomorrow becomes next week, which soon leads to next year. Then next year leads to five years, then ten years. Until eventually, the life you desired to live becomes a distant memory. You can’t afford to fall into the trap of “someday” because it may never come. Break free from your comfort zone and live life at a new level.
7. Stop blaming others. The extent to which you achieve your dream depends on you taking responsibility for your life. Too many people have a habit of blaming others for their circumstances. Their parents did not support them, the company did not promote them fast enough, the job market did not provide the right opportunities and the list goes on and on.
You may have to admit that your situation is a direct result of the choices you made. If you want to live life at maximum capacity, you must take responsibility for where you are, stop blaming others, learn from your mistakes, make the necessary changes and move forward.
“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.” Dr. Denis Waitley
Question: What self-sabotaging activity have you allowed to disrupt your life?
Originally published at medium.com