Top Three Habits Holding You Back

Would you believe me if I told you just three habits are holding you back? Yes, three simply stated but complex habits are ruling our lives. Today, my mission is to tell you what they are and hopefully convince you to leave them in 2020!

There are almost three months until the new year rolls around. First off, ahhhh how did we get here so quickly. Secondly, I don’t know about you, but I definitely feel like I haven’t crossed off enough of my 2020 goals yet.

Each year we want to have the best year yet and to our surprise, we (unfortunately) too often fall short. Why? We are stuck in old habits whether we know it or not. I want to challenge you to truly think about the habits I identify below and end the year working on your mental strength.

It's time to stray away from mental health and embrace mental strength - yes, just like a muscle we have to train it! So, let's dive in...

1. Self-Talk Habits

Yes, it starts with you.

If you would write down everything you say to yourself in a day, would it be pretty? More than likely, the answer is no. It’s so easy to harsh on ourselves and agree with other’s opinions. But guess what, friend? It’s time to leave that in the past.

We all naturally fall into the trap of getting angry with ourselves when we mess up. Honestly, it’s the easy way out of the situation. But what if we try to accept the “oops!” and use it as building blocks instead. Pay attention to how you treat yourself and note how easy it is to fall into the negative self-talk.

Each time you go to feel sorry for yourself, take a breath, write down the negative thought, rephrase it to be constructive, then move on. Stop holding yourself back with a negative headspace. You are the creator of your reality. I’m here to let you know that you are not any less of a human as the person sitting next to you! Believe in the power of you.

2. Other-Talk Habits

No, he/she isn’t any better than you.

Does falling into the trap of talking down on others sound familiar? Well, that’s your insecurity talking and we don’t want to be that person, am I right? The first rule to confidence and moving forward in our lives is to stop comparing ourselves with others.

We are all our own humans. Unique and beautiful in our own way. It’s important to have figures and idols to look up to and strive to be like, but we shouldn’t envy them or be their carbon copy. 

Talking others up instead of talking them down actually changes your view of yourself. You’d be surprised by how good you feel after complimenting just one person each day. And I’m talking about a genuine compliment. Let’s make this change in 2021. Bye-bye gossip, hello happier me. 

3. World-Talk Habits

And, no, the world is not out to get you.

As much as we feel like the world is out to ruin our day, it’s not. Sorry, you don’t get to make that excuse again. Why? Again, it’s the easy way out.

Conquer your day, every day. That should be the mindset. If you wake up believing that something bad is going to happen to you, it probably will. You set yourself up to focus on the smallest hiccup in your day and neglect to remember the other 10 great things that happened.

Moral of the story? Stop manifesting negative energy into your life. The world is not out to get you, your brain is. You got this!

Get Passionate About Your Habits

Let’s re-think our habits. What if we changed the concept of habits from “addictions” to routine actions that move us towards our goals. Our growth-mindset deserves to be backed by some strenuous, mentally challenging habits that shift us from average to where we want to be. Before the end of 2020, sit down and write out five new habits that will push your needle forward.

Fill in the blank: It is a habit to not ________________________________.

Here are some examples:

It is a habit to not… recite my mantras each morning.

It is a habit to not… read 10 pages out of my book each day.

It is a habit to not… smile at someone each day.

It is a habit to not… express gratitude at least once a day. 

It is a habit to not… treat my body with respect by fueling it properly with nutritious food and working out daily.

Your Turn

Listen, I know we are all human. I know that feeling of caving into a good Netflix show, scrolling into a rabbit hole on social media, or just avoiding what I need to do. I believe that each day we can at least attempt to be more aware of these habits and kick them to the curb.

Here we are, three months away from 2021. What are the top three goals you want to crush before the end of the year?