Do you find yourself getting frustrated because you are unable to reach your goals? Maybe you’ve been working for months or years and seem to be making very little progress. You might be tempted to give up, but perhaps all you need is a nudge in the right direction. We’re going to be talking about 10 elements of your life that may be holding you back, and how you can fix them to kickstart your personal development and start reaching your goals faster.
- Unwillingness to Change
While it can be scary, it’s important to remember that change is inevitable. Sometimes, as in the case of being fired, the new situation will come to you unbidden, and other times, like with a marriage proposal, you’ll have the opportunity to choose. Even when forced to make a shift, you still have control over your own reaction. Let yourself mourn if you need to, then decide to move forward and make the most of your new reality.
- Unrealistic or Unclear Expectations
Often, when you go into a situation expecting one thing, and it turns out differently, you will feel disappointed. By learning to be open-minded, you’ll find life much more enjoyable. For example, when starting a new relationship or taking the next step in an existing one, be sure to discuss what your expectations are and see if you’re on the same page.
- Negative Environments
Your physical, mental, and social surroundings can all have a huge impact on your level of success, but you have the power to clean up the mess that’s holding you back from accomplishing your goals. That may mean literally tidying up—it’s been proven that a clean house or workspace makes you more productive—but it could also mean letting go of the thoughts or people that make you feel bad or unproductive.
- Fear
This can be a lot of things, from aversion to change to anxiety around spiders. However, it’s important to remember that worry only drags you down. It’s okay to be concerned—everyone is sometimes—but instead of letting that keep you from making the most of your life, do things that scare you. Through this, you’ll limit fear’s power in your life.
- Emotions
Sentiments other than fear, such as anger, sadness, or embarrassment, can also hinder your progress. Strong feelings tend to cloud our judgment, making it hard to think logically, but when that happens, take a breath and analyze why you feel this way. Turn that emotion into a more positive one that serves you and your goals.
- Bad Habits
In order to achieve what you aspire to, you may need to break some old habits and form new ones. This can be difficult, particularly during the first few weeks of trying. It takes a lot of dedication and focus to prevent yourself from falling back into the old ways, so if you have more than one routine that needs to change, we recommend focusing on one at a time, making sure the first is solidified in your daily life before adding a second.
- Insecurities
Insecurity comes from the fear of being judged, so when you make a mistake, and start to worry about what others might be thinking of you, it can be helpful to remind yourself that, most likely, those other people are too busy fretting about their own problems to pay much attention to yours. And even if they are judging you, keep in mind that the only thing that really matters is how you feel about yourself.
- A Lack of Self-Awareness
This point is closely related to insecurities. In order to grow as a person, it’s important to be aware of the things you dislike about yourself so you can either work to improve them or learn to accept them, but on the other hand, it is also necessary to recognize the areas of your life where you may be overconfident. A successful life is about balance.
- Lack of Resources
This is one of the more tangible things that blocks you from your goals, but with effort, you can even overcome this problem. You might try asking for assistance from those around you or doing some digging online for strategies. Find a way to create your own options until the resources that were previously inaccessible are within reach.
- Failure
With every risk, there is always the chance that you will fail. If you do, let yourself learn from the experience and, instead of wallowing in self-pity, take what you’ve learned into account and make a plan to try again. Prevent failure from defining you by constantly pushing to be better.
In this article, we’ve given you a general idea of some categories to focus on if you want to improve your life, but if you would like more specific assistance on your personal development journey, Living Full Out is here for you. We believe that you can achieve whatever goals you have in mind, and we are committed to assisting you. That’s why we created our personal development bootcamp, a course that will teach you how to make the most of your life. We invite you to learn more and get started by going to livingfullout.com/bootcamp/. You have the power to accomplish your desires and live your life full out.
Contributing Author: Ariel Zinkan