6 Missteps We All Make in Life That Hurt the Most

Life is a long, winding road dotted with bumps, ditches, and other obstacles for many people. Oftentimes, in our attempts to trek the smoothest path possible, we make mistakes that send us tumbling back the way we came.

People struggling day in and out, and some learn from their missteps. Yet, we all tend to share common life experiences that shape us into who we ultimately become. Here are the missteps that we all make in life that hurt us the most and why:

1 Not believing in yourself and your dream

Everyone has something within themselves that no one else can do. Whether that special gift is destined for greatness or mediocrity is up to you and what you believe in.

Our jobs, relationships, and obligations crush us under the weight of what should or should not be pursued, but if you truly believe in your dreams and follow your heart, you will find that your lack of self-confidence is a grave mistake. When your hopes and dreams go ahead, it poisons the soul and slashes intuition.

2 Refusing to see the lessons life teaches you

Some things that life teaches us are blatantly obvious, yet many of people walk around with the blinders on. Rigidity creates instances in life of sheer friction that often grates on you more than they should.

The idea of going with the flow confuses you, and so you contract more into a tight space that is, honestly, the cliqued “rock and a hard place.” When you are more open to life’s lessons, the more willing you will be in trying something new, daring, and life altering.

Read also – 5 Signs You Are Overscheduling Yourself

3 Ignoring what your body is telling you

This is huge. Your body is important. Your health is important. When you disregard your body, you are putting up a wall between you and some potent signals. Bruises, discolorations, discharge, and all other symptoms, both mental and physical, are trying to tell you something.

Ignoring the signs of dangerous diseases will not make them disappear, unfortunately. And about the time many people finally decide to go to the doctor, it is already far too late for them.

4 Comparing yourself to others

Many philosophers throughout the years have said something along the lines of “comparison is the thief of happiness.” It is the truth. You and the person standing beside you are two different people. You come from two different worlds, have different perspectives, and so on.

To compare yourself to the model in the magazine is silly because they are not even real. The actual person probably does not even look like that. Comparing yourself to someone else’s life on social media is even more troubling because most people only ever post the good stuff. You do not know what they are going through in real life unless you are a part of it.

In short, comparing yourself to circumstances far beyond your reach is only going to serve as a slow-acting death. You will fail to see the beauty of your life unraveling before your very eyes. Be grateful for what you have and never stop trying to improve your life.

5 Assuming your thoughts are who you truly are

One of the craziest revelations I ever had was that I am separate from my thoughts. It happened around the time I was coming to grips with my eating disorder.

Those thoughts of self-loathing had my voice, but they didn’t belong to me. The mutterings in my mind about being worthless, ugly, and pathetic were from a separate illness dwelling inside.

When you learn how to separate yourself from your thoughts, you realize that thoughts really have no control over what you do. In that sense, you have to take responsibility for your actions and learn how to reshape your reactions and behaviors. Thoughts do not equal awareness.

6 Associating with the wrong people

There is no doubt that the people we choose to spend time with affect our perception of reality and of ourselves. If those you associate with do not value you, or if they make you feel inferior, then you have yourself a toxic relationship.

The effects of such negative influences can last throughout our lifetime, but only if you continue to let those side effects eat away at you. If you want true freedom, then you seek out those who support you and raise you up to let you fly.

Read also – I Hear the Ticking of My Emotional Bomb That Is About to Explode

No matter how hard life may be, you are not alone in the fight. Others have gone through what you are going through to some degree. Keep your head up, no matter how many times you stumble. Eventually, you will be able to make the correct steps more often and continue forward towards the happiness you seek.