How to Stop Holding Yourself Back in Life

Typically, our circumstances are not what is holding us back in life. Rather, we hold ourselves back. Perhaps we make choices that aren’t in our best interests. Or we choose to engage in negative thinking. We may only do the bare minimum, rather than giving our best in every situation. The truth is that we can sabotage ourselves in a multitude of ways. And then we wonder why our lives are a mess.

If you have areas of your life that need improvement (who doesn’t?), take a hard look at what is causing your problems. What is holding you back? Is it you, or is it your circumstances?

Admittedly, you can’t do much about your circumstances. You can’t control other people, the economy or the weather. But you can control yourself.

Below are some ways to stop holding yourself back in life. Follow these approaches, start making better choices, and get yourself on the path to having a successful and happy life.

Adopt A Healthy Lifestyle

There are many health issues over which we have no control. We can’t control if we get cancer or other diseases. We can’t control our genetic predisposition to be skinny, plump or somewhere in-between. But we can choose how we take care of our bodies on a day-to-day basis. Our self-care is entirely within our control.

For example, we can choose to eat healthy foods. I almost never eat fast food or pre-packaged foods. The preservatives that the manufacturers put in them taste funny to me. In fact, I’m so used to eating freshly made food that I don’t care for anything else. If you choose to eat healthy foods, you’ll find that you lose your taste for the ones that aren’t so good for you.

We also can choose to exercise regularly. While you may not be able to join a fitness club or have a personal trainer, you presumably can take regular walks, which is the best exercise around. And there are plenty of free exercise videos available on the Internet. For instance, for just the small cost of a yoga mat, you can do a yoga routine every day with one of the many YouTube videos available!

Don’t hold yourself back in life with unnecessary illnesses and aches and pains. Make good choices about what you eat and how often you exercise. That way you can have a body that feels good and serves you well.

Think Positively

Learning to think positively can be challenging. Our brains have been molded by our parents, and then by our peers, over the course of many years. And if you have spent your life being around negative thinkers, you may very well be a negative thinker too.

The problem with negative thinking is that it holds us back from success. You can’t achieve anything in life if you are focused on what can go wrong. To achieve any goal, you need to think positively. You have to believe that with hard work and perseverance, you can achieve any goal that you set your mind to!

Negative thinking also will destroy your relationships. No one wants to be in a relationship with someone who only focuses on their faults. We all want to be in relationships with people who are positive, who appreciate and encourage us!

The good news is that you can retrain your brain to stop thinking negatively. That retraining begins with exposing yourself to positive thinkers. There are many positive-minded philosophers, teachers and theologians. Read their books. Listen to their speeches or sermons. Fill your mind with positive thinking. It will sink in.

In addition, try to surround yourself with positive people. Unfortunately, we all have nervous, worried or depressed people in our lives. You don’t necessarily have to abandon them. But for your own sanity and personal growth, limit your time with them. Instead, spend the bulk of your time with folks who have a positive outlook on life.

Most importantly, to think positively, live in a state of gratitude. While life, at times, can be hard, try to focus on what is going well. You may do that through a prayer or meditation practice. Or you may just have to focus less on whatever is going wrong in your life. Realize that giving your full attention to your problems will not solve them. Instead, focus on those things for which you are grateful, and you will find yourself thinking more positively.

The bottom line: Don’t hold yourself back with negative thinking. While some parts of life are undoubtedly difficult, try to focus on whatever is positive in your life. You will reap the rewards with more drive to accomplish your goals, and better relationships with those you love. (To read about having a positive outlook, even when life is hard, click here.)

Do Your Best in All Things

I’m not a Type A personality, nor am I a perfectionist. But I do strive to do my best in all things. That is because I have found that my life runs so much more smoothly when I do my best.

If you don’t strive to do your best in all things, you inevitably will have issues. Taking shortcuts, telling white lies and doing the least amount of work possible will not inure to your benefit. That is a recipe for problems and failure.

Instead, make doing your best a lifestyle. Do your best in all things, from the way you manage your home, to the way you feed your family, to the way you do your job. Work to do everything in life to the best of your ability and with a great attitude.

Now doing your best doesn’t mean doing everything perfectly. If on a given day, you are feeling tired or are coming down with a cold, your best may be an OK effort. On other days, when you are feeling healthy and well-rested, your best may be really incredible. Regardless, committing to a lifestyle of doing your best in all things will serve you well.

Choose to get out of your own way by adopting some of the above approaches to life. If you do, you will create the great life that you deserve.