Take a minute to reminisce about the “old days” when you were young and life was full of excitement and fun. Seriously do that now.
Not bad right? Life was simple. You probably had much less responsibility and stress. Being an adult can be difficult at times. With the day to day challenges and responsibilities, it can wear down on you quickly.
In this article, I want to point out some observations that I see us adults going through, including myself. I want to show you that making life simple again is possible.
Life is this precious journey of time that you need to remind yourself not to take for granted. Each day you are alive and breathing is another blessing from above. Take advantage!
Here are 10 personal challenges in life that are making your life harder than it needs to be:
Table of Contents
1. You have a pessimistic attitude
REALITY: You have a negative attitude about everything. You are always thinking the worst-case scenario and many times you bring the worst-case scenario onto yourself. It’s hard for you to see the “bright side” of things because of your past or life’s current situation.
CHANGE: Force your mind into thinking positively. This is much easier said than done. I have had times of deep depression and changing your mindset to think positively is nearly impossible. Wake up each and every morning and count your blessings. By starting your day this way, you will shape your entire day to think about the positive things around you.
2. You are the star of your own movie
REALITY: You are so caught up in yourself that you annoy people and turn others off. For some reason, you forget that the world does not revolve around you and that you “deserve” things in life. You are the person that controls conversations to a point people start to avoid you.
CHANGE: Start putting others before yourself. Depending on your personality this can be very difficult. Learn how to take a back seat to other needs. Start conversations with the intent of learning about the person and not about sharing your story. Remember science has proven giving makes you happier than receiving.
3. You never take risks
REALITY: You are boring and stagnant. Your life is the same week in and week out. You don’t like to take risks or try new things. Others stop inviting you to do things because you always turn them down to binge on Netflix.
CHANGE: Start saying YES! Like I mentioned before life is a blessing, take advantage! You will find that life is unpredictable and try to control every aspect of it is impossible. Chase your dreams today and not tomorrow or you will always live with regret.
If we did not start a blog I would be stuck in a boring 9-5 hating my life. I took the risk to quit my job and become a full-time blogger and our life has completely changed forever! We were able to become debt-free, quit our jobs, and have complete freedom of our time and money.
4. You compare yourself to others
REALITY: You are constantly looking on social media and envious of others. Instead of living your own life you are always comparing your life to others. You are constantly trying to keep up with the Jones for the status.
CHANGE: Turn social media off for a month. You will be so surprised how much social media is affecting your life. Realize that social media is “fake”, you are always seeing the BEST of people and never their worst. Learn to be happy with your own life and thank God for all the blessings he has given you.
5. You struggle to move on
REALITY: You live in the past and can never let things go. Instead of focusing on the bright future, you are focused on repairing what happened in the past and making it “right” again. You struggle very hard with forgiving others.
CHANGE: Let the past be the past. Unless you have a time machine the past is the past and there is no changing it. Learn from your mistakes and take them as “life lessons” and not “failures”. Once I learned to love my “failures” my life became so much less stressful. You are human; you are allowed to make mistakes. If you are not, then you are not challenging yourself enough. Work on having a forgiving heart. Others are human too and make mistakes, forgive and forget.
6. You worry about the future
REALITY: You don’t live in the past but you don’t live in the present either. You are completely focused on the future and how much better life will be with the next promotion, car, house, vacation, or weekend. You are never satisfied with where you are currently at.
CHANGE: Start living in the here and now. Enjoy the little things life. Realize that money is not what makes you happy in life, it might make it easier, but not happier. Love your friends and family and appreciate life’s journey.
7. You’re not allowing God into your life
REALITY: You have no higher order in life that you follow. Your life’s purpose is to exist and die. Your moral compass is skewed and guiding you down the wrong path.
CHANGE: If this is something you are struggling with I want you to reach out to your friends and family. Go to church with an open heart and listen to the message. Submit to God and have complete faith that your life is in his hands.
Before God re-entered my life I was struggling…bad. I was lost and in a deep depression for over a year. Just merely existing was a struggle. I had blinders on and could not see the light at the end of the tunnel.
It was not until I hit rock bottom and opened my heart back up to Jesus that I was able to regain my life. I had a purpose, meaning, and direction. I had HOPE, something I was desperately missing.
8. Your expectations are too high
REALITY: You set unrealistic expectations and get discouraged by never meeting them. You are not self-aware enough to know what you are and are not capable of. You are too hard on yourself when your goals are not meet.
CHANGE: Start by setting short-term goals that you can easily achieve. Give yourself some momentum and motivation to go after larger goals. Focus on your strengths far more than you focus on your weaknesses.
9. You struggle with patience in life
REALITY: You want the next big thing right now. Whether it’s a promotion, new cell phone, your first house, or a serious relationship you have very little patience to let it happen. You get upset when things don’t fall into place quickly enough.
CHANGE: Everyone’s life is different and things happen at all different times for people. Learn to take a step back and realize that being impatience is doing more harm than good. Love the challenge and progress more than the outcome.
10. You never give back
REALITY: You are always in it for yourself. You love to consume rather than create or give. When it comes to looking out for others you make sure you will “get yours” in return. You are not tithing on a regular basis for a good cause.
CHANGE: Start to give more than you receive. You will quickly learn giving more will bring a ton of happiness and purpose to your life. Give your time to others without demanding it in return. Stop being a scrooge with your money and use it for others benefits.
Great article!
Thanks glad you enjoyed it!
Numbers 2, 4, and 10 are especially important for introverts. We sometimes struggle to get out if our heads. Interacting with others and being of service to others can help us get out of our heads and have a better perspective and attitude. Thanks for writing!
You bet! Thanks for stopping by and joining the conversation.
Good article. I especially agree about the comparison game – there is no benefit to anyone there! You have to be your own person!
Hard to learn at a younger age and as you get older it becomes a no-brainer.
Love the article! Thanks for your testimony. You have such a great platform to make a huge difference ?
Thanks Mindy glad you enjoyed the article =)
Simple, but so true. Excellent points! I usually have something to add, but your recommendations are very thorough. Definitely confident that someone who follows these tips would see a marked improvement in their life immediately.
Thank’s for buzzing by Miss Sara Bee. Appreciate the kind words. Really put a lot into this post so love the feedback.
Ouch, you seem very harsh on the non religious! And those of a different religion….
You don’t need religion to have purpose, while I agree it gives lots of people hope, it also causes a lot of problems in life.
Just sharing a little part of my story. I was a little harsh to get the point across. God has done wonderful things in my life and it’s only right to share those.
I appreciate your boldness in sharing how you were able to find God’s purpose for you. It is always risky to share as some might be turned off, but that should never keep us from doing what is right.
Amen! It felt great to share a little part of my story. Will definitely be incorporating more of this in the future.
Great list of land mines to be mindful of. When we get too full of ourself, it is sometimes helpful to take a mental inventory. Having a positive attitude makes life so much better. Helping others is what life is all about.
Amen to that. We started our blog as a way to help others =)
Well written article makes several good points.
Thanks Wise Money appreciate you stopping by!
All those were great! What little success I’ve had is following that playbook you laid out so well. Number 3, taking risks absolutely propelled me from being a timid introvert to speaking to groups of thousands and winning the 9 to 5 corporate game. I see a lot of advice that says don’t do something unless you get a “Hell Yes!” feeling inside. I think that is terrible advice for people like the timid guy I was because I didn’t get that about any of the pivotal risks I took that changed my life. Sometimes you have to suck it up and go for it even when inside you are screaming “Hell No!”
Amen! Thank you so much for sharing.
Great article, thank you!! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it!
Nice Post!
Thanks!
My last comment didn’t go through, so trying again. Great post! Love these reminders. Also enjoyed hearing more about your story in #7. While some people may not identify, it’s more important to have the vulnerability and boldness to share.
Your comment worked this time Matt. Thanks for spending the time to read our article, glad you found some value in it.
Appreciate your kind words about sharing my story. Will be doing more of this in the future.
Really great post. I definitely suffer from some of these, particularly #6 and #9. I’m always looking to the future (#6) and trying to make it better. It’s good in some ways, but as you said, it makes it tough to live in the here and now when my head is constantly in the clouds. And of course, I’m so excited about the future that I want it now! (#9)
Love this article, the digestible and very doable suggestions, and I especially loved it because you shared your faith. Awesome! Keep up the great work using the gifts HE gave you!
Thanks Traci =)
Great post! I really like 2 & 10. Those seem to go well together. We (me in particular) all need to work harder at making life less about me and more about others. Keep up the great work! Steve
Hey Steve thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read our post. Totally agree with your comment! If we could all focus a little more on others and less about ourselves this world would be a much better place.
Thank you so much for sharing what God has done in your life! Brave & Brilliant article!
Thanks Sherry! Your comment just made my day =)
Thanks
Like to hear that Jesus set you free from depression. He gives Joy abundantly – John 15:11 🙂