Do you ever feel like you’re not living up to your full potential, or that there’s so much more out there for you but you don’t know how to get it? It happens to a lot of us. We’re all carrying around tons of baggage from our past experiences and it’s holding us back from being truly happy — but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you can recognize the signs that you’re standing in the way of your own success and well-being, you can work to overcome it. Here’s how to tell if you’ve got some work to do:
- You’re always full of excuses. I hate the hashtag #noexcuses because it’s judgmental and some excuses are actually valid reasons — but some people are just completely full of crap. Constantly coming up with excuses for why you aren’t where you want to be in life is only preventing you from growing as a person. It’s a system that gives you a free pass to stay in a rut, and why would you want to do that? Ditch the excuses and admit to your shortcomings so you can reflect and grow.
- You have a tendency to self-sabotage. The problem with self-sabotage is that it’s almost impossible to spot until the damage is done. You have to be almost hyper-vigilant of your behaviors when you’re approaching a goal to make sure you don’t accidentally burn everything down.
- You’re deathly afraid of failure. Failing is so terrifying to you that you’d rather cause it and get it over with than risk it happening on its own. Additionally, you won’t give anything your all because that’s too risky for you. In cases of failure, your emotional safety net is the fact that you half-ass things. You can’t risk giving it your all and still failing.
- You’re equally terrified of success. Success is also scary! Once you’ve made it, you have to keep it up forever, and that’s a lot of pressure. Even when you really want to succeed at something, it’s easy to get spooked, panic, and bail instead of following through.
- You overthink everything. Your mind can’t help but think of every conceivable option and all the possible outcomes. You occasionally become paralyzed in overanalyzing and lose track or your intuition. Sometimes you have to trust your gut and run with it, instead of thinking it to death or talking yourself out of it before you even try.
- Self-doubt runs the show. We all have self-doubt, but you can’t let your insecurities take control. It’s a harsh world filled with critics; you don’t need to be hard on yourself, as well. Try to be your own biggest fan, because other people will doubt you along the way. You have to be able to say, “Screw that, I’m awesome!” and just keep moving.
- You wonder deep down if you’re inadequate. A lot of people carry around the sense that they’re fundamentally inadequate or unworthy of good things. There’s a fear that if they become successful, people will realize that they aren’t good enough, and they don’t want to be found out. But it’s not an act you’re putting on. You are good enough, and you don’t need negative thoughts getting in your way.
- Daily pressures feel suffocating. Career pressure, financial pressure, social pressure… It all feels like too much already, so how can you move forward? The stress is too much for you to focus on bigger goals, and that’s totally understandable. But without learning to manage your response to these pressures and move forward, you’re risking the possibility that you’ll never better your situation. Don’t give in to the stress — push though.
- You have a sensitive ego. Sensitive people need to protect themselves because they feel more deeply. But the urge to protect yourself can be a burden, as you can’t completely protect yourself from rain without also blocking out the sun. Figure out what’s worth taking a risk for, and know that even when your ego is bruised, you’ll be fine. Hitting a few potholes on the road to success is just a part of life, as cliché as that sounds. You have to take a risk somewhere, and you aren’t defined by your failures.
