As people, we naturally have an innate desire to grow and change to become the best versions of ourselves. After all, we're all just striving to find our happily ever after and live a life that brings us meaning and joy. But while we all share the same dreams and goals, some of us get lost on the way there.
There's no doubt that life can be hard and is filled with plenty of obstacles, but how we choose to tackle them is the most important thing. As each of us goes through our own personal struggles, our mindset and attitude might shift and set us back. Sometimes, we develop bad habits or unhelpful behaviors that stop us from continuing down that rainbow road.
So, to help you identify whether or not it's time for some change, we're going to talk about several signs that might indicate you're holding yourself back in life without even realizing it. These things can be difficult to notice on your own!
Letting Fear Consume You
Let's get one thing straight right off the bat: fear is not a bad thing. Fear is an important emotion to have; it's what protects us and keeps us safe, and it's what stops us from making poor decisions that could hurt us in the end. While fear has its own role to play, what is important, though, is that you don't let it completely consume your thoughts.
While you should be using fear to help guide your decisions in life, it shouldn't play the starring role. When you let your worries and anxieties take over, it prevents you from doing some really amazing things! All it does is cause you to overthink things, which ultimately stops you from trying something new or different, which leads to a complete stop in your personal growth.
There's a difference between a dumb decision and a risky one. Dumb decisions simply lead you nowhere and are impulsive, but risky ones feel risky because you don't know the outcome yet. It can be making a career switch, moving to another country, or even cutting off people you once loved. It only feels risky because you're so focused on the negatives, you forget to embrace the positives.
To move forward in life, some risks need to be taken. They won't always be successful, but that's okay! Even if trying something new doesn't work out, you'll gain valuable life experiences that help you push forward. It's never a complete loss if you're gaining personal growth from it.
Getting Lost In People-Pleasing
The main concern with people-pleasing? It's entirely focused on everyone else but yourself! People-pleasing is one of the most dangerous habits to get into. When you should be your own number one cheerleader, you've suddenly put yourself in the very back row, only to be acknowledged after you get through everyone else in line!
All of your time and energy should always be spent on helping yourself advance in life, not setting you back. When you become obsessed with other people's comfort over your own, you end up creating this toxic cycle where you begin adjusting your own goals and dreams just to better accommodate them. You can't ask yourself why you're not growing if you're not focused on your own growth to begin with.
The best way to let go of this behavior? It's by centering yourself. You have to remind yourself what your aspirations are and how those have nothing to do with anyone else but you. The direction of your life is in your own hands, and it's time to put yourself back in the driver's seat. Being kind and considerate is one thing, but making others a priority is a different thing entirely.
Comparing Yourself To Others
People move through life at different speeds, so you should never at any point feel the need to race with others to the finish line. You're not behind, you're not ahead. Everyone's simply going at a pace that they feel is right for them!
The moment you start comparing your own growth with someone else's is when you start to diminish all your hard work and progress. We tend to feel jealous looking at others who have made it farther than us, but all that does is set us back, not encourage us to push harder. It's important that you learn to be happy with where you are and not only think about where you could, or even should, be.
Focus on yourself and what you've been able to accomplish instead. Keep your eyes on the prize and remember this is all about you! Even when progress seems slow, don't forget that it's often in these slower moments that we see the most growth and change. The more effort and time you spend on something, the greater the rewards.
