Life is always full of traps. While some are obvious, some are not. Whenever people find themselves stuck, it is usually because they fell into a trap they never saw coming. That is why it is best to be smart to live to survive, especially about these obvious traps that can often stop us from achieving what we deserve. This article will discuss 17 traps that keep people stuck in life.
Read till the end and enjoy a bonus tip.
Here Are The 17 Traps That Keep People Stuck in Life
Comparison
Comparison is one of the biggest social traps that people fall into. Social media has made it worse for many people because it keeps bringing images of perfection, fame, wealth, and influence. Whether false or real, these images have pushed many people into comparison among their friends, neighbours, families, and peers. Sometimes when some people feel they cannot measure up to the standards of their social life, they start feeling low self-esteem, depression, frustration, and loneliness. This has pushed many people into criminally inclined acts. That is why, on no account should you compare yourself to anyone. You are special in your way when you begin to see the best sides of yourself.
Fear
Fear is one of the most powerful emotions we can experience, and it can happen to anyone. One of the dangerous effects of fear is holding us back from taking bold steps to achieve great things. Fear sometimes is real, while on some occasions, it is only a feeling that we build up in our imaginations, and it is not real. Therefore, since some are mere illusions, you should never allow them to control you or dictate your actions or reactions toward life. The fear of “I can’t do this”, “this is impossible”, and “what if I fail?”. There is a saying that “a coward dies many times before his death”. That is just what fear does; it keeps you from standing up to fight and prevail. It will help if you exercise courage, a positive mindset, positive speaking, and optimism. When you have these traits, you will watch those imaginations fly out of the window because courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to act in the presence of it.
Perfectionism
One thing that gets many stuck in life is trying to live a perfect life. Unfortunately, life itself is not perfect, and this is the hardest truth that many are not ready to accept about life. They keep trying to live perfectly, and when they cannot attain the imaginable height they’ve created in their illusion, they keep blaming themselves. The only way to live a perfect life is to accept that life itself is crooked. When you accept this and focus on progress, learning from mistakes, and discipline, you will discover how happy and simple life will become.
Procrastination
This is one of the 17 life traps that keep you stuck and hold us back. Procrastination is putting off what should be done now until the next time. If you are always caught doing this, you will discover how much valuable time you have wasted doing nothing profitable. However, procrastination has an antidote if you wish to overcome it: discipline, hard work, and diligence. When you put all these into practice, you will discover that your brain was only trying to play tricks on you about seeing your tasks as too big to achieve.
Fear Of Change
You cannot keep doing things the same way and expect a different result. So many fail in life because they are afraid of moving away from a particular location, mindset, pattern of doing things, and view towards life, making them perpetual victims of negativities. It will help if you change yourself and the things around you to effect changes on many occasions. It is time to rise from the past and put things straight for better results. Life will not change until you change things within yourself and around you.
Negative Self-Talk
It has destructive tendencies on your self-esteem. People often suffer from negative self-talk, especially when they cannot achieve what others have achieved. Especially in the era of social media when people flaunt whatever they have achieved. This has made many think less of themselves and begin to see nothing good about themselves. They begin to downplay the underlying abilities they have refused to nurture due to negative self-talk. To overcome this, be your own best friend, tell yourself positive things, and start working towards bringing those positive talks into reality.
Fear Of Missing Out
Many have become victims of this thing called “FOMO” and have continued to pursue a course that does not make for a contented life. Many think it is better to follow the crowd than to stand because the crowd can never be wrong. Therefore they choose to follow what others are doing even if within themselves they feel they are on the wrong path. However, the fear of standing alone has made them follow the wrong path, and the end is full of regrets. To avoid falling into the error of others, dare to stand alone and do what is right regardless of what others feel about it.
Overthinking
Overthinking is a trap that leads to paralysis analysis and can prevent you from taking the right actions. It leaves you confused like a deer in the headlights, and you get hit by the car. Thinking is good, especially if it involves calculating one’s steps before taking them. However, if it crosses the boundary of healthy thinking, things might go haywire, and you will pay dearly for it. Therefore, let your thoughts be positively analysed without crossing the boundaries of sanity.
Failure
It can mean different things to different people. However, we all fear failure in one way or the other because no one wants to fail. Failure is ingrained in humans, and it is one of the best ways to sharpen your mind and decision-making process next time. Life is not all about winning all battles. Sometimes we fail, and when this happens, it is best to learn from it and restrategize the next move.
Holding Grudges
Life is too short to give people who should have a slide in your past rent-free in your mind. Grudges have a way of wrecking your happiness. We understand that you have been deeply hurt, and it is hard to let go. However, for your sanity and happiness, let go of those things and allow karma to do its work.
Comfort
Comfort is good because no one enjoys a life where they are tossed around by challenges. However, when comfort outweighs the real issues of life, you might need more time to take drastic actions to improve. No matter how rich or famous you are, there is always room for improvement; remember that life is a race, and someone out there is not willing to give up on little. Therefore, you must leave your comfort zone and keep pushing hard, especially when you are still far behind.
Seeking Validation
Seeking validation is one of the things that cripple self-confidence. No one can appreciate you more than you appreciate yourself, and no one can care for you more than you do for yourself. If you lack self-esteem, you keep running around to get it externally, leading to depression when you come across people who do not have time or appreciate you. It would help if you appreciate being yourself and have a mind of yourself because you are the leading actor in your movie, and the outcome solely depends on you.
Reliance On Past Glory
Many are victims of this. No one disputes that you had success stories sometimes in the past. However, what have you been doing to build more on it? Success is a success when you continue to build on it. It is not when you think you have achieved enough and begin to relax. Life is more complex and has become a race and healthy competition. Many keep striving and will never give up until death. Therefore if you relax and keep boasting about the success of the past five years, you will soon become irrelevant when statistics are brought up. That is why you must keep adding more to your archive of success to stay relevant.
Hanging On The Past
One of the 17 life traps that keep you stuck os hanging on the past. The past does not define who we are. You might have suffered abuse and become a victim of many unwanted and unplanned situations. It is time to stop carrying the guilt around, even if some past experiences were due to wrong choices. Life always presents opportunities for doing it again and making it right. Rise now and tell the past that has been hunting you that it can no longer define you, and you will see how light your life’s burden is.
Trying To Bring Others Down
Many people have built a standard for themselves, thinking it should only be for them. They have laboured so much for the things they have, and when they see others trying to rise in life, they become offended, especially when they are close people. They feel those good things or their story of “rags to riches” must be about them alone, and they want to maintain that zenith of respect alone. If you are fond of that, you are only limiting yourself more because life will always reward everyone who strives, not only you.
Mistrust
The mistrust could have been built from your past experiences, and you have become a victim. You were betrayed by someone you trust many times, and you have built your mindset around this, thinking there is no one out there who can be trusted. It is an entirely false submission about life. There are many people with a high level of integrity that you even rub shoulders with on the street, at your place of work, and even in random places. It is now left to you to open your heart to see them.
Dependency
Everyone understands the harsh economy these days, which has made this generation more dependent on others and even parents. What would you say about a person of 30 years still feeding and living depending on others for survival? Many of these people have made it seem impossible to move out and find something essential to do. If you keep living a life of dependency, you will never develop your potential and make something meaningful out of life.
BONUS
Pride
Pride is one tool that limits anyone from moving forward in life. Pride prevents you from learning from others, seeing your mistakes, creating improvements, or being willing to do something new. Most times, proud people do not feel the need to create room for more because they already see themselves as the top and do not need to learn from others. Pride makes people blind to the truth of life, and if you are one of the proud ones, it is time to drop it and learn the positive things that are scattered around you.
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Don’t fall for these life traps !