Are You Making These 3 Life Mistakes to Avoid?

Some mistakes can lead us to unnecessary stress and disasters in our lives. While it isn't the end of the world if we find that we've made a mistake, it can be easier to avoid making them altogether. Sometimes we may be unaware of what we are doing or the harm and trouble it may be causing us so it can be helpful to check in with ourselves to see if we may be guilty of acting in ways that aren't benefitting us. Below are three life mistakes to avoid.

Staying in our Comfort Zone

We can't really grow or progress much without stepping out of our comfort zone. For example, for a long time I really did not think of myself as being able to run anything longer than a 5k. I knew I probably could if I put in the work but didn't want to because I knew it would be hard and that I would also be disappointed in myself if I wasn't able to finish a 10k on my first try. One day after having not really run in several years, I realized I was going to be thirty in a few years and wanted to be able and look back and see that I had been adventurous in my twenties. I decided I would run a marathon (26.2 miles) before I turn thirty. I haven't run the marathon yet because I will be doing that in May, but I have been training well, I've run a 10k, AND I ran and completed a half marathon in a decent amount of time. I have become healthier and have pushed the limits of my running distance capabilities.

Living in a Constant Battle with Time

I have often found myself (and sometimes still do) convinced that I will be able to have time for things. Then, I repeatedly disappoint myself when I run out of time for everything I wanted to do and tell myself "it's okay, I will figure out how to have time to get it all done tomorrow." Then, of course the next day it would all happen again. Not only was this preventing me from getting everything done that I wanted to in my life, but I was also not getting to everything that I wanted to in my life! For example, I would start by doing all the things that were responsible and needed to get done like getting far ahead on homework assignments, cleaning up the house, laundry, dishes, and stuff like that. The idea was that if I worked hard enough, I would get all the need-to-do stuff done and could spend the rest of the day doing whatever fun or relaxing thing that I wanted. However, each day I never finished the entire class worth of homework like I wanted and the house was never perfectly clean, so I never got around to the "luxuries" that I wanted to. For several years, I didn't really do anything that I wanted to do that wasn't "accomplishing" something. Eventually, I began balancing it out by doing something on my to-do list and then something that I actually wanted to do and then something again off my to-do list. Not only was I spending more time doing the types of things you are supposed to live for, I was getting the to-do list items done faster because I wasn't getting burned out. Now, I do a little bit of something I enjoy each day, but I am actually living life.

Not Comprehending What You're Capable Of

I really used to think that I was only capable of the most basic of things. I thought I could have a basic starter job, run no more than a 5k distance, and if I was lucky I could get an associates degree in general education. And for a while, this is how I lived. I didn't really try for much more because I didn't think I was capable of it. I thought that if I did somehow get a higher degree or a better job that it would be by mistake and by faking my way though. However, I will soon be a clinical mental health counselor with a master's degree and in just five months I will have run a marathon. Sure, I'm not quite there yet but I have still come much farther than I thought I would already. I've run a half marathon and have already completed two out of three years of my master's degree with having been on the dean's list the whole time and a 3.84 GPA.