13 Destructive Habits You Need to be Aware of

We are all guilty of self-sabotage at least one point in our lives. These behaviors often creep up on us, and before we know it, they’re habitual. Awareness towards one or all of these habits can significantly increase anyone’s quality of life. Here is a list of 13 destructive habits and how to change them.

1. Having negative people in your sphere of influence
   Entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker Jim Rohn said that “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Limit time spent with others trying to poison your mind with negativity. Replace them with positive influences that lift you up rather than pull you down.
2. Living in the past
   Everyone has something in their past they wish they could change. Unfortunately, it already happened and it must be accepted and learned from to live well. Instead of dwelling on what you could have done differently, ask yourself “what did I learn from this experience and how can I use it in my future?” Your brain will surely come up with some good answers.
3. Worrying
   Marinating in your troubles or difficulties is one of the worst ways to spend your time. Glen Turner said it best: “worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.” Stop thinking about what could go wrong, notice everything already right in your life and recognize that everything will work out as it should.
4. Being scared to fail or make mistakes
   The greatest people to ever live were fantastic failures! Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Stephen Spielberg, Michael Jordan and Walt Disney just to name a few. Their “failures” were simply opportunities for improvement. Just remember that any experience you have is a form of success itself, because you will surely learn something valuable from it.
5. Thinking that happiness has anything to do with material things
   Advertisers have programmed people to believe that happiness comes from purchasing their products. This cannot be further from the truth. True happiness cannot be bought. Volunteer, give a compliment or a gift, and appreciate your life and the people in it. Realize that you have the power to be happy now by an easy change in your thoughts or actions.
6. Complaining
   Talking about how bad something is has never made it better for anyone. It is okay to acknowledge a problem, but focus all of your energy on finding a solution. Ask yourself “how can I change this?” or “what can I learn from this?”
7. Taking the easy way out
   Life is not always easy and when faced with difficulty, most people choose the path of least resistance. Why? Because it offers less pain. As time passes, we are usually aware that the path of least resistance was the wrong choice. When faced with a difficult situation offering two paths, ask yourself “which path offers the most long-term happiness, not the least amount of pain now.”
8. Focusing on what you don’t have
   An easy way to drain yourself of any sort of peace is by looking at all the things you don’t have. Telling yourself over and over that you don’t have something won’t make it magically appear. It also won’t make you feel too good. Look at what you already have and be grateful for it. If you want something that you don’t have you must harness your focus and act towards attaining it.
9. Comparing yourself to others
   When you compare yourself to other people, your focus is on their qualities, achievements or possessions that you want. This relates back to number 8. Stop focusing on what you don’t have, notice what you have that people already admire and pursue that which you want in your life.
10. Holding Grudges
    When we hold onto resentment and fail to let it go, it often drags through life with us. Remember that forgiving someone does not justify what someone did to you; it just means that you refuse to let it get in the way of your happiness.
11. Overlooking the little things in life that really matter
    Things that might seem small to you now often turns out to be big things later. Don’t take for granted the memories you can make with the people you love.
12. Perfection
    In most cases, people are seeking perfection to gain self-confidence. However, striving for perfection is a guaranteed way to ruin self-confidence as it is an unattainable quality. It is a disastrous habit that many people put on themselves. Recognize the areas you want to improve and work towards them. In the meantime, remove the word perfection from your vocabulary.
13. Expecting the world to revolve around you
    Is it possible that maybe just maybe the world might revolve around you? Not a chance and we all know this is far from true. When we are conscious of this our little problems seem to fade away. No matter what happens throughout your day, just realize that someone is fighting for theirs.

Michael is obsessed with simple and effective strategies that optimize the Law of Attraction. He is the creator of the growing online community Law of Attraction Tactics. Michael is on a mission to teach people how to live strategically in a way that maximizes their potential.