13 Signs that you’re Wasting Your Precious Time
Life is said to be too short, but most of
us don’t feel it until we start nearing the end - only then do we really
think about and regret our choices. Think about the following two
questions: What was always your biggest dream, and did you realize that
dream during your life?
If your answer to the second question is
no, then we recommend that you review the following 13 signs and see if
you are wasting your precious time. Once you learn to recognize the
routines and customs that cause this, you can avoid them and start to
fulfill your dreams actively and consciously.
1. You spend too much time doing things you
don’t need to do
Whether you sit every night and watch television for hours on end or
spend your time in front of your computer skimming through a social
network, you should start taking your life more seriously. Think about
the way you choose to spend most of your free time and ask yourself if
it somehow helps your life move forward and helps you become better - do
your actions help you create a foundation for the future you want to
live? If not, you probably need to re-evaluate your routine and make
changes.
2. You complain too much
Some people, without even knowing it, hate their lives, and they don’t
stop sharing this fact with others. Do you think you’re like that? Do
you complain about your boss, your salary, or your noisy neighbors? If
so, you probably don’t do anything but project negative energy into your
environment, and negativity doesn’t help anything, it just makes you
stuck. Change the way you think, and talk to your friends about the
things you love in life, not about the things that are bothering you.
3. You don’t feed your brain
We don’t stop growing after puberty, and if you don’t continue to learn
new things and improve your knowledge in old age, you will degenerate
and stay stagnant, just like a still lake which becomes scummy - that's
what happens to your brain if you don’t keep it active and teach it new
things. Thought provoking challenges help you expand your knowledge and
improve your thinking, so don’t avoid them even if learning something
new seems like a difficult task - you have to be a little bad at first
to get better.
4. You aren’t inspired
Do you have a desire for something? There are many people who go to work
every morning, go home, watch television and go to bed, and believe
they have no passion for anything, but that's never the case. Each of us
has something we enjoy doing which adds to our life, and you have to
rediscover what excites you and put more of it into your life.
5. You have too many negative conversations with yourself
Sometimes our thoughts can ruin our day. Henry Ford said, "Whether you
think you can or you think you can’t - you're right," which means that
if you tell yourself that you are too exhausted to make a difference in
your life, you're right because that's what you decided.
However, if you tell yourself you're smart and talented enough to get
promoted or start your own business, you're also right. Whatever you
tell yourself will become your reality, so be aware of your thoughts and
adapt them to the life you want to live.
6. You’re not planning for the future
While it is recommended for each of us to live in the moment, sometimes
we have to look into the future and make sure we are on the path we need
to be on. If you don’t have a goal or a plan of some sort, you’re like a
sailor on a boat sailing the sea without a sail expecting to get to a
good place, but chances are that that won’t happen.
You have to create a plan of action which will help you reach your safe
haven - just like choosing a destination on a GPS. Once you have a goal
in mind, you’ll know which opportunities will take you to it.
7. You spend too much time with people who
don’t contribute to your well-being
It is very easy to get stuck with negative people who don’t help us feel
that we are better people than we think we are. Sometimes, we even call
these people friends, but it's important that you know that these
people are pulling you down with them.
People like this are sometimes called "energy vampires" because they
draw the spirit of life from others and do not give anything positive in
return. Instead of spending too much time with such people, identify
the friends and acquaintances who make you feel proud and happy, and
surround yourself with them.
8. You are addicted to your smartphone
The smartphone is one of the most useful gadgets added to our lives in
recent years, but you should be aware of the time you spend on it.
Think about how the use of a smartphone affects your relationship in
your home environment or while you're with friends; are you locked onto
the screen at dinner with your family, or are you communicating with
acquaintances while you sit for a cup of coffee with a friend? If so,
you are missing out on the meaningful entertainment and intimate
relationship with the people you love.
9. You spend money on things that don’t matter
There is a big difference between "want" and "need," and certainly your
parents tried to teach it to you at a young age. However, the line
between these two has become very blurred in today's society, and some
people fail to pay their mortgage but still manage to spend their money
on non-essential products.
If you stop for a moment and think about it, you’ll find that there are
very few things you really need in life; water, food, a home, and love
are part of that list. All other things are extra, so think about your
expenses and make changes accordingly.
10. You don’t get enough sleep
You don’t have to be a doctor to know how important sleep is to our
health. If you're awake till the early hours doing chores, you’re
probably wasting your free time during the day on things that are not
necessary. This is a bad habit that should be stopped because poor sleep
can cause fatigue that will rob you of the desire to do the things you
need to do to sustain your life.
11. You don’t take care of your body
Beyond the fact that adequate sleep is important for health, it is also
necessary to keep the body active and maintain its health, just as you
would your car. Your body is the vehicle that drives your soul, and you
must help it stay healthy by eating a balanced, healthy diet and
exercising, not just for weight loss, but to maintain its strength.
It will affect you mentally and change your attitude toward life. Start
with small changes, and if you see that you persist in them consider
increasing your efforts - the more you do to keep your health, the
better your life will look.
12. You don’t step out of your comfort zone
It’s easy to stay in a comfortable place, but if we don’t take
calculated risks in life, it’ll never be able to improve enough to
satisfy us. Note that there is a difference between "risk" and
"calculated risk", since just any risk can lead to a negative outcome,
but a calculated risk is one in which our chances of achieving a
positive outcome are higher. Just think of a plan of action and go with
it wholeheartedly.
13. You don’t love your life
Success and happiness come hand in hand, because the way to test how
successful a person is, is to measure his level of happiness. Do you
feel happy? If not, you may need to make a significant difference in
your life. Even feelings of satisfaction or contentment aren’t
indicative of a life lived to the fullest - life needs to excite you! If
you don’t enjoy your life, you have to make some changes that will lead
you to a better place.
A few words to sum up
If these 13 signs sound familiar to you, don’t be discouraged. You can
change your life, but first, you have to get rid of the little voice in
your head telling you it's impossible. Most of the times our biggest
obstacle is the pattern of thoughts in our heads, so start by making a
linguistic change. Change your way of thinking and speaking and
gradually the way you perceive and experience life will change as well.