13 SIGNS YOU’RE WASTING LIFE BUT
YOU CAN’T ADMIT IT.
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1. YOU SPEND TOO MUCH TIME
DOING THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T BE
DOING.
Video games. Reality TV. Surfing the
‘net. Stuffing your face with too much
food. Drinking too much. And the list
goes on. Take a serious look at your
life. Where are you spending the
majority of your time? And does it
serve you well? Is it leading to a better
life? Is it laying the foundation for a
bright future? If not, then you need to
reevaluate your routine activities and
make changes.
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2. YOU FIND YOURSELF
COMPLAINING A LOT.
I know people who are constantly
overwhelmed with life, and they never
cease to tell me. Are you one of those
people? Do you complain about your
job, your boss, your salary, your
neighbors or your spouse? If you do,
then you are doing nothing but
exuding
negative energy. Negativity doesn’t
change things. It keeps you stuck. So
change your thoughts and talk about
what you appreciate about your life,
not what you don’t like.
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3. YOU DON’T FEED YOUR MIND.
If you’re not continually growing and
learning as a person, then you are
stagnant – just like a still pond that
doesn’t move and grows green gunk
on it. That’s what your mind does if
you don’t keep it active and learn new
things. Positive challenges in your life
will expand your mind, not send it
backwards.
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4. YOU HAVE A LOT OF NEGATIVE
SELF-TALK.
Self-talk can make or break your life.
As Henry Ford said, “Whether you
think you can, or think you can’t…
either way, you’re right.” If you tell
yourself that you’re not smart enough
to get that promotion or start a
business, then you’re right. If you tell
yourself you’re too exhausted to put
effort into changing your life, then
you’re right. Whatever you tell yourself
becomes your reality. So closely
monitor what you say to yourself,
because you will find that your life
matches your thoughts.
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5. YOU FEEL UNINSPIRED.
Do you have a passion for anything? I
know a lot of people who think they
don’t have a passion. But that’s never
the case. There has to be something
that you enjoy doing. So you need to
rediscover what excites you, and then
do more of it.
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6. YOU DON’T PLAN FOR YOUR
FUTURE.
While it’s always great to live in the
“now” and “be in the moment,”
sometimes you need to look ahead to
see where you want to go. If you don’t
have a goal or a plan, then you are like
a boat that is wandering aimlessly in
the ocean hoping to end up
somewhere good. But you can’t do
that. You have to make a step-by-
step guide to get where you want to
go. Just like a GPS gets you to a
destination, you need your own inner
GPS to guide you.
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7. YOU SPEND TOO MUCH TIME WITH
PEOPLE WHO DON’T CONTRIBUTE TO
YOUR GROWTH.
It’s easy to get stuck hanging out with
people who are not making you feel
like a better person. But if you keep
doing that, then you will stay stagnant
or get pulled down with them. I like to
call them “Energy Vampires.” They
suck the life out of you and give you
nothing positive in return. Instead, go
find growth- oriented people to be
around.
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8. YOU’RE ADDICTED TO YOUR
PHONE.
Sure, cell phones are super cool
gadgets that can leave us entranced
when we use them. While that’s fun,
think about all the time you are
wasting with your phone. Even worse,
think about all the relationships that
might be affected. Maybe you’re
texting or searching the internet while
you’re having dinner with your spouse
or kids. If you are, you’re missing out
on meaningful time you can spend
with your loved ones – or time you
could devote to making a plan for your
future.
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9. YOU SPEND MONEY ON THINGS
THAT DON’T MATTER.
There is a difference between a “need”
and a “want.” I’m sure we all learned
that in kindergarten. However, in
today’s society, we have blurred the
lines quite a bit (see #8… the cell
phone). In fact, I know people who
can’t pay their mortgage, but still
have the fanciest gadgets on the
planet. If you stop to think about it,
there is very little that we actually
need. Food, water, shelter and love are
some of those things. All the rest are
just bonuses. So look at what you’re
spending your money on and see if
you can make adjustments. Maybe
you can use the money you save to
invest in your future.
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10. YOU DON’T GET ENOUGH SLEEP.
I’m not a medical doctor, but I have
read enough books to know how
vitally important sleep is. I could write
20 pages on it. But I obviously don’t
have enough room in this short
article. Sleep is crucial for good
health. If you’re too busy to get
enough sleep or if you simply have a
bad habit of staying up until the wee
hours of the morning, you should re-
evaluate your habits.
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11. YOU’RE NOT TAKING CARE OF
YOUR BODY.
Not only is sleep essential to your
health, so is food and exercise. I know
I’m not telling you anything you don’t
already know. But eating a balanced,
healthy diet and moving your body
around truly does have more positive
effects other than weight loss. It
affects your mental attitude and
overall well-being. So take a look at
your diet and level of activity. You
might find that making a few small
changes will greatly improve your life.
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12. YOU DON’T LEAVE YOUR
COMFORT ZONE.
I know how easy it is to live in a
comfort zone. In fact, when I go to a
familiar restaurant, I always order the
same thing. Not because I’m afraid to
try something new, but because I like
the food I normally order. But that’s
not the kind of comfort zone I’m
talking about. I’m talking about taking
a risk that will improve your life. And
keep in mind, there is a difference
between a “risk” and a “calculated
risk.” Any risk has the possibility to be
deadly, but a calculated risk is one in
which you’ve weighed all options and
thus come up with a good, sensible
plan of action.
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13. YOU’RE LIVING A LIFE YOU DON’T
LIKE.
The way I measure success is by
someone’s level of happiness. Are you
happy? If not, then you should change
something! Even a feeling of
contentment or satisfaction doesn’t
tell you that you’re living life to the
fullest. Life should be exciting! So if
you’re not enjoying life, take a look at
some of the changes you can make to
get you to a better place.
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If any of these 13 points sounded like
you, don’t despair. You can make
changes. But the first change you
need to make is getting rid of the idea
that you can’t do it. Many times, your
biggest obstacle is your own thought
process. So start there. Change your
thinking – then change your life!
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