Have you ever stopped to really take into consideration how you’re living life? Do you make the most of your talents, time, and opportunities? Do you seek out fulfilling experiences and relationships? If not, then you may be living a small life. In order to take full advantage of the time we have here on earth, it is imperative that we constantly evaluate ourselves to ensure we’re progressing. So, to help find out if any of the questions above apply to you, below are three signs that you are living a miniature life.
You plan more than your produce. When it comes to this thing called life, for the most part many of us have some type of plans whether they’re immediate or for the future. Planning things out is important and a wonderful habit however, the problem comes in when we do more planning than actually producing and executing. If you spend countless days and hours making plans then find yourself second guessing and contemplating if you should go through with them; you may need to discover how to keep from repeating this negative mindset. Think of all the time we have wasted on psyching ourselves out of the things we’ve always wanted to do, then imagine what we could have accomplished in that time. A little frightening right? Sometimes when we plan many things at once or we are trying to do something for the first time, it can be a bit overwhelming and intimidating but if you already believe the outcome will be bad; it will prevent you from performing well. To make life easier on yourself try not to make too many plans all at once. Focus on the important task at hand and don’t stop until it’s completed. Also, prioritizing your plans will make things less stressful. Don’t allow laziness or fear of failure keep you from following things through because you don’t know if you never try. You’ll be more disappointed later on in life at the things you didn’t have the courage to pursue than if you gave something your best shot and it didn’t work out.
You often seek validation. One of the greatest feelings is knowing we have made our loved ones proud of us but praise and permission are two different things. Seeking validation is almost synonymous with asking for permission or approval for how you should live your life. When you constantly look for validation, it becomes the basis for what you consider to be right, wrong, acceptable, and unacceptable. While the opinion of others can be useful, it shouldn’t supersede your true thoughts, feelings, opinions, wants, or likes. After all, those are the things that make you unique in the first place. If you continue to look for others approval in everything you’ll eventually be stripped of your identity and end up very unhappy. Trust yourself enough to enjoy the things that bring you pleasure without doubting if it’s okay. Pride yourself in confidence!
You envy others success. When you’re on the outside looking in, of course it seems as if everyone else has it better than you but that’s not reality. Nobody ever has it all together; all the time. Someone may have a better job, house, or car than you do but that doesn’t mean they’re more successful because success can be measured in many ways. Always keep in mind that even if someone is more successful; they still struggle and face different adversities. They just might differ from the battles you deal with. Whatever accolades or accomplishments someone else has is nothing to be envious of but is more so something you should look up to. Use others success stories as motivation to create your own. When you wish for things that someone else has it’s a sign that you aren’t satisfied with your life. It represents what you desire and don’t have. Get in touch with your gratitude because just like you are wishing for the life that someone appears to have, there is probably someone else who would do anything to have yours.
The wonderful thing about realizing you aren’t living up to your full potential is that it’s never too late to start heading in the right direction. Discovering that you have a problem is half of the solution. There may be some things you need to work on but don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember to take credit for what you’re doing right and enjoy the journey of bettering your life.
[By Nyia Moore]
