Do you feel stuck in your life, afraid that you are not nearly touching your potential with a ten-foot pole, and that you might at this rate, turn out a disappointment to yourself and everyone around you? It is a familiar feeling.
Nearly everyone at some point in their lives have felt this way. I sometimes feel this way myself too, and sometimes when I make a radical decision, like leave a job that makes me unhappy, or end a relationship that doesn’t make me better, I feel guilty, like the rest of the world is judging me for being a quitter, that this isn’t the way regular humans should be and that I am lazy and unwilling to put in the work.
On some days, it is an overwhelming feeling of time no longer being on your hands, or younger people that remind you of your younger self who are doing things even your current self hasn’t imagined doing. All these things get you feeling down about life in general. And they just make you crave pushing the stop button on your life or seeking asylum under a rock.
But…
You cannot afford to let these fears and doubts break you. Here are three things(and a bonus fourth) you can do to keep your drive alive and begin to get better results.
1. Be positive.
The world gives you what you give it.
Some people are born naturally confident about the course of their lives, or at least they had this built as they grew, and if you check closely, you’d realise that these ones have generally better lives. They face each day with positivity and optimism, and are ready to take on new challenges because they believe they can. So they do. And so should you.
If you are one who believes in God, or a higher power, begin your day drawing energy and strength by praying, especially if you don’t fall into the category of those who have their energy tanks in-built. Pray, then maintain a positive state of mind. The universe responds to the conversations of our hearts, so when your heart speaks gloom, the universe brings you gloom-causers. Settle in your mind daily, that you have opportunities for greatness waiting at your door and you are going to go out there and take them.
2. Give up the need to please.
You are enough. Best believe.
I cannot stress this point enough. Your life is yours and no one else’s. Stop putting the burden of making everyone happy on your shoulders or they would break from too much weight,and no one would give you money for surgery to fix them back because no one asked you to please them. Of course, people are selfish and like to make you do all you can to please them. But the truth is they’d love you better when you are yourself . This is a proven fact. Most times, point 1 above doesn’t happen because we keep trying to please people who don’t matter. Get rid of the pressure of friends on social media who may ride flashy cars or have the best jobs. Whether real or not, it is their lives, and yours is yours. But more importantly, success is relative. That you don’t do what they do doesn’t make you less. Be you, and do not apologize for it.
3. Put in the ‘good’ work.
‘Nuff said.
I have used good here because a large majority of people are working very hard in the wrong places, and that is ‘bad’ work. Of course, it is paying the bills and keeping body and soul together, but good work on the long run helps you do more than just survive. It makes you excel, and happy; two birds dead by a single stone.
There’s also the ‘work’ aspect that requires you to get out of bed and use your mind and hands. Nothing is automatic, even passive income. It is all as a result of a move, but I don’t want to start stating Newton’s laws of motion to get this point across. Here is it in basic terms: Place your focus on the areas of your competence, work hard at them, and you would not have to worry on the long run about unrealized dreams or time passing.
(Bonus Point)4. Never underestimate the power of social media.
This is an obvious bonus point, but I’ll state it again for effects. Social media has the power to make you whatever you want to be. You just need to let the world catch a glimpse of your light, and they’d do the rest of the work.
So there. Stop being so down. Embrace your uniqueness, work hard at it, and there would be no limits on your path.