Many people go through life acting like trained circus animals. They repeat the same antics they observed their neighbors, parents and family performing. What they often don’t realize is that they are wrecking their lives.
Do you know someone that performs these tricks?
Understanding that these tricks change good lives into a zoo is the first step to freedom. So, let’s take a look at the most common traps people fall into.
10 Very Common Stupid Tricks That Wreck A Good Life
I’d bet we’ve all witnessed at least some of these stupid tricks. Unfortunately, they plague many people and are incredibly common. Read over the list and let me know which one you think is the worst or most prevalent.
1. Performing the starring role in a never-ending drama
It seems that some people want the days of their lives to mirror a soap opera. They constantly behave badly and then wonder why their lives are so freaking crazy. It is almost as if they are addicted to chaos! These folks usually fail to see that they are their own worst enemy! Do you know someone that is the big star in their own perpetual drama?
2. Jumping through hoops without accomplishing anything
Who do you know that lives life like a hamster spinning in a wheel? These people run and run, but never get anywhere. In addition, they probably think they have little to no control over their lives. They are stuck in the Twilight Zone where every day is just like the next. They continually jump through hoops for everyone else, but never realize their own dreams. I assure you this is only an illusion, but how do we convince them?
3. Parroting the negativity heard in the media and from others
The voices of negativity are constantly lobbing grenades of gloom into our laps. Many people become echo chambers that repeat and amplify this barrage until they are deaf to anything else. Then their minds freeze up in fear, doubt and panic. These people let themselves be toyed with like a puppet! We all need to turn off the talking heads and feed our minds positive, encouraging vitamins of hope to regain a good life!
4. Disappearing when they hear the words volunteer or charity
Why are people so afraid of giving away their time and money? I know there are a lot of scams, but are we really going to let that squelch every attempt at good? So what if once in a blue moon we give a nickel to someone that wastes it! Life goes on! Get over it! The most significant thing we can do with our limited days on this earth is make someone else feel safe, comfortable and cared for.
5. Trying to walk a high-wire without a net in their personal finances
The recession we just experienced was a gift. It was a warning shot across the bow giving people the opportunity to turn from their destructive financial path. Spending beyond their means, piling up mountains of debt and failing to save a penny for a rainy day will be the demise of many. Our economy reflects our collective financial condition. Hopefully, the warning we got will motivate people to get their house in order so we can prosper as a country!
6. Rolling over and quitting because they made a few mistakes
Making a bad mistake can be painful. I’ll admit it can feel like someone scarred you with a white-hot branding iron on your backside. The memory of such an event leaves many thinking that the best thing they can do is to curl up into the fetal position and quit. Of course, this means they’ll miss out on even the slightest chance that life might throw them a bone just when they need it most!
7. Swinging from one relationship to the next to avoid commitment
It isn’t always easy to let yourself be loved. A true partner will challenge you to grow and better yourself. They will force a person to relinquish some of the selfishness we all cling to for dear life. Jumping to another relationship won’t solve the problem. One day you have to deal with the person staring back at you in the mirror. This is the only way I know to ultimately find the kind of love we all long for.
8. Playing opossum on the couch to evade all forms of exercise
There is nothing that will steal the joy out of a person’s life quicker than health problems. However, you don’t have to look far to find a person taking a very short-sighted approach when it comes to exercise and eating right. Neither of these is all that hard, expensive or time-consuming. They just take a little discipline and ingenuity. I don’t understand why people don’t get up and get active! It is the single best thing we can do for ourselves!
9. Throwing daggers of blame while blindfolded at anyone in range
Some people will throw blame at just about anybody but themselves. It is always the other person’s fault that their relationships suck, their career is at a dead-end and the collection agent knows their whole family by first name. Accepting responsibility for our lives and making a conscious decision to do everything we can to make this one life we have worth living is the only solution to our dilemma. When will people learn?
10. Flipping out when it is suggested they should learn something new
I never cease to be amazed at how strongly people resist and fear change. They will do everything within their power to avoid, divert and even sabotage anything that is going to make them have to learn something new or change in anyway. Change is a necessary and healthy part of life. Our routines are not pets! People need to learn to grow! It doesn’t hurt as much as they think!
Retraining to Quit These Stupid Tricks
We are not circus animals! We have a choice in our behavior. All we have to do is decide to retrain ourselves. How do we get people to quit these self-destructive tricks?
Well, you’ll find a lot of great advice by continuing to read Pick The Brain. In addition, you can find a lot of great information on good habits and smart living on my blog. Hope to hear from you soon!
Jeff Nickles is a guest blogger for PickTheBrain. He writes about living life to the fullest at MySuperChargedLife.com.
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Hey Jeff.
#2 there is a tough one. A person who is running through hoops without accomplishing much tends to do so for lack of understanding outside their own thinking. Perspective from others helps in correcting this. For every 10 people that see you running through hoops accomplishing nothing, 1 person will point it out, and those are the people we need to appreciate, for they aim to keep us out of repetitive cycles.
#10 is also a big one. Again going back to the numerical example, 9 out of 10 people don’t want to hear that they should learn something new, and would rather have someone agree with them. Only 1 will be open enough to hear it and try something new, and that is why so few get ahead.
Thanks for this set.
Nice job, this post is great I recognize these patterns in people all around me. It’s great way for me to see how much I improved during my life although sometimes I still fit under #6 and #9. Thanks for pointing that out now I know where to improve. In my opinion number #1 is the worst ’cause it really affects people around you.
@Armen – You are very right that most people that are performing these tricks regularly don’t want to admit it or change. Of course, every day there are those unfortunate few where there bad habits catch up with them and they finally realize they need to change. I hope that by pointing these out so plainly that maybe, just maybe, I can save someone from their day of reckoning!
@Agnius – I’m sure we all fall victim to some of this bad behavior from time-to-time. The key is to keep it from dominating our lives. Thank you for seeing that this article is intended to help people recognize places to improve their lives! There is always room for improvement!
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Well done Jeff, every single point is right on the money. You went 10 for 10, very insightful. Thanks.
I agree that this recession is an absolute gift. Hopefully for many it will act as a springboard for sounder finances and less wasteful, more meaningful lifestyles. I’m personally thankful for the hardships I’ve endured in recent years. Although the financial trouble I’ve faced has been painful at times; it’s given me the opportunity to push myself towards a more challenging and rewarding career path.
Don’t you just love it the way people act? We tend to do a lot of stuff out of inertia, we think, talk and behave in ways we just picked-up and got used to. Thinking things through can be such a better way though!
I looked at your list and I realized why you called them “common” tricks.
Eduard
Excellent post! I have seen many people display tricks 1,2,9 and 10. It seems these people haven’t got a clue but get angry when you try to help them by letting them know that they are the cause of all of their problems.
@Jonathan – Thanks for the encouragement! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
@Jamie – Often setbacks are just opportunities in disguise. It sounds like you hare a fantastic attitude. I’m sure you’ll bounce back in grand style!
@Eduard – These tricks are way too common! Inertia is a fantastic way to describe the way most of us live. We just go with the flow. Of course, we need to be sure the habits we develop are positive ones if we want to live the best life possible.
@Anita – Isn’t it funny how people want better lives, but they don’t want to change? I just don’t understand it. If we want more from life, the best place to start is by improving ourselves.
You guys are awesome! I appreciate all the comments!
Nice post!
Most of these tricks comes down to our own ignorance, not to mention the conditioning we have suffered since birth.
I guess we all need to liberate our minds and become independent so that we do not need to resort to these magical trickery of illusions.
Avoiding commitment is a big deal. It tends to show up in other parts of your life not just relationships. Some of the people that I have dealt with that have a fear of commitment also lack stability in other area such finances and career. Great post
I feel being negative is the worst thing in life. But this is such a common reason, we hear about it everywhere. I was glad to read about the other 9 tricks. The part with those who jump though hoops without achieving anything, got me thinking. I would like to know more about this, about how to recognize this phenomenon and how to get out of it.
Thank you for the post!
I love the animal analogies! I certainly know people that personify every one of these ten characteristics. Overall, I think I do a pretty good job avoiding them, but when I read #2, it did strike a chord. It can be difficult to handle the business of everyday life without getting stuck in the “rat race” or the hamster in the wheel example you used.
I had a breakthrough in this area recently, as you know since I just wrote about it as a guest post on your site!
I think we all can relate to these silly ways of being in the world to varying degrees. Some of us go to more extremes then others or are stuck in one more than another. Finding out the driving force behind out destructive behaviors will help us heal them for good.
Dr. Jennifer Howard
http://www.DrJenniferHoward.com
Great list. I especially like the last one of learning something new. It is very easy to get stuck in a pattern that you feel comfortable with. Learning something new helps you stay out of that.