Limiting yourself is something you have to actively fight against as you crash up against the shores of life. No matter what comes your way, things will not work out as you expect. When that occurs, one of two things can happen.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Kathryn Calvert)
You can either buy into the myth that there is no advancement beyond the glass ceiling and get used to where you are. Or, you can refuse to believe it and break on through to whatever awaits. If you choose the latter — and most of us will want to — then you need to get a serious grasp on the things you are doing to keep yourself from achieving your full potential.
In the following article, we’ll be looking at what those things are. We’ll also be suggesting how you can overcome them. Let’s get started!
1. Not Getting Enough Sleep
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, sleep plays a critical role in wellness on four distinct fronts: mental health, physical health, safety, and quality-of-life. Let’s look at each area.
Mental Health: you show sharper focus and are better at processing emotions and events.
Physical Health: you give your heart, blood vessels, and other muscles the chance to heal from the strain of the day.
Safety: with sharper focus and clarity, you are able to avoid accidents and other forms of recklessness that could put your immediate health in jeopardy.
Quality-of-life: if the other three areas are clicking, you are going to enjoy a boost in the quality of your life that will play out day after day.
Go to bed earlier. Get plenty of REM Sleep. Avoid situations that keep you from going to sleep and interrupt you in the middle of the night.
2. Eating Poorly
A poor diet affects your digestion, your weight, your heart, and, yes, your sleep. As you get older, you need to start tasting food with your whole body instead of just your taste buds.
That means monitoring the way your body responds to certain foods and beverages. If you’re consistently having a negative reaction, then you should think about finding alternatives or cutting out those types of foods altogether.
3. Sitting Too Much
The human body was not meant for prolonged sitting. It was meant for activity. Unfortunately, the modern work and school lifestyle doesn’t leave enough room for activity. Despite all we know about the negative effects, offices still put their employees in front of computers in sit-down desks eight or more hours per day.
The best thing you can do is actively schedule time to get up and move around. Make it a part of your to-do list. Don’t rest until you’ve done enough to cross it off the list. Ten thousand steps per day is a good place to start, but don’t stop there. Keep going!
4. Procrastinating
Putting things off is another way that you hold yourself back. The amount of hours that you spend on a project could usually be much lower if you take away the time you spent worrying about getting started. So, how do you make it easier on yourself to get started?
Some tips: give yourself a countdown to “psyche” yourself into starting whatever it is that you’re putting off. Find other things you can get done in the time you spend waiting to start the main project. This will help build momentum towards getting started. Last but not least, ask a friend to hold you accountable.
5. Overdoing It
Another way that you could be limiting yourself is by not knowing when to stop. Many people can make the mistake of thinking longer hours equate with better productivity. This could not be further from the truth. At a certain point, it becomes a matter of diminishing returns.
That can get especially frustrating when you feel like you’re working harder and getting less accomplished. Don’t allow burnout to sneak up on you. It can lead to a serious backlash that prevents you from achieving your goals and staying the course.
6. Failing to Read
Reading is still one of the best ways of building your knowledge base and skill-sets. Only by learning from experts in a certain field can you hope to become one yourself or add value to a certain industry. Books, newspapers, magazines, and websites contain the best available information on a given topic.
The more of it you absorb, the further you will advance in your education and career. Not embracing the ability and the time that it takes to read will result in you being less-equipped to reach or go beyond your limits. So make sure you’re giving yourself every advantage by reading and learning as much as you can.
7. Spending Too Much Time on Social
Social media has become one of the biggest time-sucks in the lives of any would-be productive student or worker. The endless scroll and the often mindless content has an almost dark magic over us. It’s the ability to keep us engrossed even when we’re not really interested in what we’re seeing.
Minutes of scrolling turn into hours. Before you know it, the whole day is shot. You want to spend as little time on social media as possible. For starters, you’ll be happier. That’s because Facebook and depression are inextricably linked. Remove social networks from the equation or at least limit their use, and you’ll soon find much more productive uses of your time.
8. Obsessing
One of the underlying feelings that keeps us procrastinating and overdoing it is obsession. We get obsessed with what could go wrong or what has gone wrong or trying to make everything perfect. Obsessing over outcomes is counterproductive, and you will ultimately hold yourself back if you give into it.
9. Holding Onto the Negative
Negativity will consume you. It follows you around like a dark cloud. It keeps you from believing in yourself or trying as hard as you should. Sadly, it’s also impossible to achieve anything as long as you’re carrying that negativity with you.
Any time you feel it start setting in, take a break from what you’re doing and try to focus on something positive. If that’s not working, or even if it is, focus on your attitude and only the things within your control. This will help you course-correct.
10. Taking Revenge
Revenge is a horrible emotion that makes you lose sight of the advantages that you do have. It gets you locked into tunnel vision, to where the only thing you can see is how you’re going to get back at someone.
Shed that attitude immediately and let the best revenge be living well. Focus only on what you can do to improve your situation. That never means tearing someone else down even if you feel like they might deserve it.
Limiting Yourself Should Not Be an Option
Limiting yourself is a sneaky way to derail the potential for your life. You don’t have to do it. If you feel like you have been too limiting in the vision that you have for your life, then consider some of the points we’ve made here and use some of our tips to develop an action plan of your own. Good luck as you move forward!
Aric Mitchell's work appears regularly here at 4tests.com and across the web for sites, such as The Inquisitr and Life'd. A former high school teacher, his passion for education has only intensified since leaving the classroom. At 4tests, he hopes to continue passing along words of encouragement and study tips to ensure you leave school ready to face an ever-changing world.
