7/29/2019 5 Pitfalls to Avoid to Achieve Your Life Goals

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5 Pitfalls to Avoid to Achieve Your Life Goals

I dont mean to be a downer here. If youre interested in optimizing your lifeand living it to the fullest, you probably have a lot of big goals and dreams. Its important to focus on what you want and to use that as motivation to move you forward.However, its also important to be realistic about the common pitfalls thatpeopletend to get stuck in as they work toward their life goals.Here are 5 common things Ive seen inothers (and myself!):1. Pursue Material Success Above All ElseIt is easy to get mesmerized by the thought that your life would be perfect if only you had more money, abigger house, or a new pair of shoes.Dont get caught in the trap of chasing the best and brightest new thing. Ive beenthere myself, and all those new toys lose their luster after a few short days orweeks.Though those things may make you feel good for a while, it is important torealize that those good feelings of confidence, joy, and happiness come from within you, not from the object2. Wait for SomedayYoure busy. Im busy. Everyone is busy these days. Somehow it seems like a strugglejust to find the time to go grocery shopping or get the oil changed in your car.It is easy to put things off on the someday list, especially if taking action frightens you or youre unclear about what the next step should be.

However, it is important to realize thatunless you actively make the choice tochange your situation and take controlof your life, your dreams, or the directionyoure headed, you will just keep drifting on the same course youre already on.Living the life you want doesnt happen by accident and it doesnt happen because your to-do list is finally complete and you can, at long last, find the time to concentrate on what matters. The only way to get the life you want is to take action andmake time for it.Make your goals a top priority and you wont run the risk of endlessly putting them off until they reach the graveyard of someday.3. Settle for Less Than What You WantI know it can be difficult to go after what you want. You pour all of your effort into getting that dream job, asking that special person out on a date, or getting started on that new diet only to be met with disappointments.

After a little bit of failure, it is only reasonable to think that youve just setyour goals too high and that you should settle for something a bit morereasonable.However, settling for less isnt going to give you what you really want. It will also develop a belief in your mind that you cant get what you really want or thatyou dont deserve it. This kind of thinking will limit your motivation or the amount of action youre willing to take to go after otherthings you want in life.4. Avoid Fear and Uncomfortable SituationsI get it. Its tough to walk into your boss office and demand a raise or go up to that hot girl at the bar and introduce yourself. Its frightening. You dont know what will happen, and theres a reasonable chance that you may not get the desired outcome.However, it is only through reaching outside of our comfort zone that we can beg

in to expand what is possible in our life.Its the things we have to work for and take a risk to get that we treasure the most in life.Yes, you might experience the sting of rejection, but the courage needed for taking a chance will start to build, like any muscle that is exercised, and youll begin to become more bold and courageous in other things in life too.5. Choose to Believe Discouraging ThoughtsWe all have negative thoughts. There is no denying that. However, we do have thechoice to believe those thoughts or not.And it sure is easy to believe them. After all, we thought them up or someone imp

7/29/2019 5 Pitfalls to Avoid to Achieve Your Life Goals

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ortant told them to us,so they must be true, right?Keep in mind though, that just because you have a limiting or discouraging thought about your own abilities or value does NOT mean that you have to accept thatbelief.You can choose what beliefs you are willing to accept and which ones you are not. Even if youre unable to control anything else in your life, you can always control your thoughts.***The important thing is to not feel bad if you see yourself in any of these 5 pitfalls. Often, we may not be aware of what were doing so you shouldnt feel bad whenyou discover somethingcounter-productive. Instead celebrate its discovery and correct course as needed.The journey to achieving your life goals may not always be a straight line, butfinding your path amidst it all is one of the biggest joys in life.