Personal Development

We all want to have a great start to the new year. What better way to do that than by reflecting on the past year through journaling prompts and tuning your mindset for a fantastic new year!

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Journaling Prompts For The New Year

1. On a scale from one to ten, how satisfied were you with these areas of life in the past year? (1) Health & Fitness, (2) Family & Friends, (3) Romantic Relationships, (4) Mindset & Emotions, (5) Finances, (6) Work & School, (7) Intellect & Knowledge, (8) Fun, (9) Contribution.
2. List at least one small action you can take to improve each area of life this year. 
3. What were the best moments of the past year? What are you particularly proud of?
4. Do you have any regrets about the past year? Make sure to vividly remember the worst moments of the year and then forgive yourself and/or others for them. Remembering these moments is uncomfortable, but it will make you feel much lighter and rid you of the emotional baggage before the New Year.
5. Who did you spend most of your time with last year? Did you truly like spending time with them? Are they the kind of people your best self would spend time with? If not, how can you reduce your time with that person? What kind of people would you rather spend your time with? 
6. What were the things that made you happy? How can you do more of that next year? Write down concrete daily, weekly and seasonal activities.
7. What were your biggest worries? Do they seem important now?
8. Are you where you want to be in life? If not, what would you want your life to be like?
9. How would a perfect day/week look like for you?
10. What can you do in January/the first quarter of the year to get closer to that dream life?
11. Are there any New Years’ resolutions you have set yourself over and over again? Do you truly want to accomplish them, or do you only think that’s what you should do? Break down the goal into the smallest steps possible and set these as your new goals. 
12. How will you track the progress on your goals? For example, set up weekly/monthly notifications for goal reviews; get yourself a goal tracker or dedicate a notebook to this purpose. 
13. What ten things are you grateful for looking back on the last year?
14. What is your mantra for the New Year? Some examples: Grace and ease, confidence, calm, honest and real.

Of course, this list is not final. I will probably make many more lists of this kind. The fact that we all talk about the one percent that made it, give us a clue on just how many harmful mindsets there must be in the other 99%.

However, if you manage to tackle these 7 midsets, then you are already very well set up for a fantastic 2021!

By the way, if you want to keep track of your goals and habits for 2021, I invite you to download my 2020 Goals & Life Mastery Tracker Worksheet. It is FREE!

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1. I know that already

No, you don’t. Learning never stops!

It might be true that you know everything that person is going to tell you or all of the information this book contains. But you will never know if there might have been some new information if you don’t even listen to/read it.

You need to lower your expectations of the number of new things you are going to learn. The more knowledge you acquire, the less information you hear will be unique to you.

But I can guarantee you that there will always be something new to learn simply because there is still someone out there who is discovering something new.

And if you think about it, only a tiny spark can light up massive amounts of fuel. The same goes for our ideas. Very often, you accumulate a ton of knowledge. Still, only one tiny bit of new information can spark that big eureka moment.

So if you ask me, it is very often worth your time hearing old information again if there potentially is something new within. At the very least, you will repeat what you already know.

Repetition is the mother of perfection. If there is pure perfection, it’s about doing something over and over again.

-Thomas Keller

Repetition is the mother of skill.

-Tony Robbins

Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment.

― Zig Ziglar

2. I can figure this out on my own

You could, probably. But it would cost you dearly. It would cost you time, money, and frustration.

We Felicity Seekers want to enjoy the journey towards our dream life. We don’t believe in hustling so hard, we need to reduce our sleep to four hours and don’t have time for workouts or family and friends anymore. Neither do we believe in saving so much money we can only afford harmful fast food.

We love to feel good in our bodies, we like to spend our time the way we want to, and we absolutely adore to indulge in luxury.

In other words, we Felicity Seekers don’t make our life harder than it needs to be. We carefully ponder our options and choose the most logical one for us.

And in the vast majority of cases, this means not to reinvent the wheel but simply let others help us.

That means you should invest in that course, coach, seminar, or book! Sure it might cost you something now, but in the long run, you are going to reach your goal faster and more enjoyable.

You can always earn more money, but you can never make up for that lost time. So please don’t try to reinvent the wheel in 2021.

3. Using negative words

Tell me, do any of these thoughts sound like you?

• Oh, please don’t let me be late!
• I really don’t want to see that person today.
• I just can’t focus
• I won’t get sick, I won’t get sick, I won’t get sick!

What do they all have in common? They focus on the thing you do NOT want. There is an excellent Tony Robbins quote that names the problem that lies in such negative focus:

Where focus goes, energy flows.

-Tony Robbins

Whether you believe in the Law of Attraction or not, this rule of thumb can change the way you perceive your life.

Don’t you imagine it might be a much more pleasant experience if you change these thoughts into …

• I am punctual!
• I am exclusively meeting people I love to meet
• I am absolutely focused
• I feel great! I am healthy!

There is the power behind positive affirmations. Of course, you won’t be able to avoid using negative phrases altogether. However, try to program your mind to think more favorable phrases.

It can be a fun game that makes your daily life happier.

4. Money is hard to earn

Because, boy, that belief can be so far from reality … depending on what reality you create for yourself.

The magic words here are passive income, entrepreneur, and passion.

It is absolutely possible for you to passionately earn a significant amount of money in less than 9 hours a day, five days a week.

Nowadays, there are countless examples of online entrepreneurs doing just that. And 2020 is the year you should start believing that this can be a reality for you, too!

If that´s what you want, you should check out 6 Things You Should Do Before Starting A Business.

5. They are all just fooling us/This isn’t real

Skepticism might save you from being screwed over like naive people are. However, it will also create more worries and prevent you from taking advantage of incredible opportunities.

So please dare to be a bit more trusting from time to time. If you find a person that seems honest to you, is transparent and has lots of great reviews, you might want to take the leap and believe them/invest in their product.

Again, you can easily earn that money back should you actually get scammed (which in my experience is not likely as long as you are not entirely naive). However, you will never know if this might have been the person that could have helped you reach your dream life.

In my opinion, the risk-reward-ratio is clearly speaking in favor of being more trusting and less skeptic.

6. The honest and hardworking get just taken advantage of and never succeed

Unfortunately, I know all too well where this belief comes from. In the past few years, I have heard from multiple sources and also, to some extent, experienced myself how honest and hardworking people get taken advantage of by the lazy and coward.

You might know those people who always act like their sick so they can skip work. And when they are at work, they use their time to do online shopping or hold private conversations. In other words, they get paid for doing sh***, and their honest and hardworking colleges have to balance the workload and stress as a result.

Honestly, people like that make my blood boil! These are people who have zero loyalty to their colleges, hate their job but are too much of a coward to do something about it and create a life they would instead want to live.

Urgh … just thinking about those people makes me angry!!!

However, even though there are, unfortunately, quite a few people like that out there, you should drop the mindset that this means you as an honest and hardworking Felicity Seeker won’t succeed.

In the end, the honest and hardworking are still the ones that succeed and get to live the life of their dreams. The key here is to work smart and not just hard.

Don’t let others take advantage of you like that. If you can’t help it, try to get away from those toxic people. But never EVER stoop to their low level.

Don’t lose your work ethic! Keep hustling, and stay honest! The others may have short-term success, but you will succeed in the long run!

7. I need a degree to be successful in life

Not necessarily, no. Although our society has taught us that we need to have good grades in school and get a degree to get a good job, this is not necessarily true anymore.

The internet has created endless opportunities to get or even create a high paying job that you love without having a degree.

Of course, if you want to be a doctor or a lawyer, you need to get that degree. There are certain professions where that makes sense. But in other jobs, practical experience trumps any degree by lengths!

So sit down and analyze what you really want in life. Do you need a degree to do that? Can you think of famous people who got where they are today without a degree?

For example, if your dream is to become a professional dancer, you might not need a degree for that but can gain attention through posting dancing videos on social media.

However, you should also know that a degree can often make sense. It will not only teach you different information and skills than you can acquire by yourself, but it also provides you with a little bit of security to fall back on.

For example, I am currently still studying law, although I’ve pretty much decided a year ago that I don’t want to become a lawyer or a judge, etc. So why do I still bother with it?

1. It keeps me occupied while I grow my business. If my business was my only focus right now, I think I would go crazy with it not taking off yet. And of course, there would also be family and friends asking, “how does it go?”.
2. Depending on how long it takes for my business to create a decent income, I might need to start working. So I might as well get a good-paying job in the law industry.
3. Law is EVERYWHERE in today’s world. Seriously, pretty much nothing university is teaching me will be a waste of my time. At the very least, it improves my understanding of legal situations.
4. For most of my life, the school was my primary focus. So I always planned to get a degree of some sort. I still want that, even though I might not use it in the end.

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to still get a degree even though it might not directly be useful for your profession of choice. I think Kimberley Wenya and Monica Yates did the same, by the way.

The important thing is to know that if you don’t want to get a degree, you very often don’t have to.

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What about you? How many of these mindsets do you need to overcome in 2021? Are there any other mindsets you want to get rid of?

Comment down below! I’d love to hear your story and your plans for the upcoming year.

I wish you a fantastic rest of the year, and I know that you will smash 2021!

Sophie

Are you as excited about the New Year as I am?! The next year might be a year that will change your life forever. It might be the year you meet the love of your life or become financially free or find your passion. 

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1. Becoming healthy

Do you have acne, migraine, dry skin, a wart on your foot? Do you bloat or struggle with your digestion? How are your sleeping patterns? 

If you are like most people nowadays, there is at least one factor about your health that is bothering you, or you at least know it could be better. 

Most likely, it is something that isn’t too bothering, and you have accepted it. No more! 

It’s time to take action and get rid of your health issues! You will feel so good once you did it! 

If you are a woman and have any issues concerning your period, I highly recommend listening to Feminine as F#uck by Monica Yates. She is such an inspiring boss lady, and as a Period and Womens life coach, she is an expert around all those women topics. 

2. Get in shape

Yes, this one is the most common New Years’ resolution ever. Especially after that holiday season around Christmas, where a lot of people get lazy and gain a few pounds. 

However, the goal for 2020 should not be to get back into shape. The goal should be to create a healthy lifestyle that you can commit to all year round and have fun doing so. 

For example, my goal for 2019 was to do three workouts a week and regularly some yoga. 

Sometimes, I was feeling more into yoga and sometimes a bit more into working out. I tried to go with the flow while still maintaining a more or less consistent fitness level. 

Suddenly, something amazing happened. In June, I decided to try Blogiates 28-day challenge, so I did five workouts a week and one 30 minute stretch session. 

As July rolled around and I had planned to go back to my original workout routine. I suddenly found myself very excited about doing daily workouts. So going with the flow, I continued to train five days a week, stretch at least once a week, and now also do some yoga once in a while. 

So without pushing myself too much, I have found joy in working out almost daily and living a fitter lifestyle. 

I also experimented with the time I am training at and adapt it to my current lifestyle. 

I can only recommend you to try this out for yourself, instead of going just for that bikini body for summertime. 

3. Read more books 

Reading in general (and I don’t mean Instagram captions) is excellent. Reading non-fiction books is even better. 

If you are like the average human being, you don’t read a lot. And if you do, it probably is fiction. 

But if you’ve ever taken an interest in successful people like Bill Gates or Stefan James, you might have noticed that they read a lot. So there must be something to it, right? 

This year, try and set yourself a reading goal. You can use Goodreads for that and to track the books you’ve already read and the ones you still want to read. 

If you need some inspiration on where to start, check out my Reading List for Personal Growth. It is always growing with the newest, valuable non-fiction books I’ve read myself. 

A word of warning, however. Don’t set your reading goal too high. It will only discourage and stress you. Go with something that seems attainable but is still a tiny bit of a stretch. 

And, should you dislike a book, don’t force yourself to finish it. I know this can be hard sometimes. I am also somebody who likes to finish what I started. But in the end, forcing myself to read something that I don’t enjoy will only grow the reluctance in me to pick up the next book. And I don’t need that. 

4. Integrate personal development into your daily life 

Now, if you start reading non-fiction books, you are already going to learn and grow a lot in 2020. 

However, there are, of course, many different ways to accelerate your personal growth journey and reach that extraordinary life of your dreams. 

And many of them, you can integrate almost effortlessly into your daily life. 

While you are traveling to and from work/school/university, why not listen to an audiobook, a blinkist, or a podcast instead of music? 

You wouldn’t believe the immense value I’ve received through podcasts in the last year. It has, in all honesty, changed my life in more than one way. The existence of this blog is the best example of that. 

Instead of watching a series on Netflix, why not watch some informational, motivational, or inspirational YouTube Videos? There are so many possibilities to effortlessly learn something new.

5. Become more confident

Confidence gets you very far in life. And not only that, but it also makes the experience more enjoyable for you. 

So, how confident are you? How often do you doubt your abilities or worry about what other people think about you? 

How often do you find yourself holding back in a situation, knowing you would act differently if you were confident enough to do so. 

It’s time to get over that! Confidence is like a muscle. You can train it and make it stronger. 

Don’t tell yourself that you are shy. You are what you settle for. If you settle for being shy, then, of course, you are shy. Don’t fool yourself into believing you are not confident. 

The ability to be confident is inside you, just as it is inside everyone else. It’s your task to get it out in the open. So, please, don’t ever rely on your friends or romantic partners to make you feel confident. 

You don’t want to go into a relationship with the mindset of your partner completing you. You should already be your best self so that you can give your partner everything he or she deserves. 

To help you with that, I created 12 Powerful Ways To Be More Confident. 

6. Improve your style

Now, talking about confidence, let me share with you one of the easiest ways to get a confidence boost: Feeling great in what you wear! 

What you wear gives people a particular impression of you, and you know that. Now, if you already are very confident, you don’t necessarily care what others think about your clothes. 

However, if you try to grow your confidence, you should make sure to find a style in which you feel badass and ready to rule the world. 

Imagine Cookie Lyon or James Bond, entering a room or walking down a street. That’s the energy you want to feel! And your clothes can help you until you’ve got your mindset set up. 

So start to put some thought into your clothes. Styling is honestly a science, and there is so much to know about how to dress best for your body type. It´s the perfect project for 2020!

7. Identify and get rid of bad habits 

There are always some bad habits we should free ourselves off. If you manage to identify and eliminate at least one of them in 2020, you have already succeeded. 

Most people don’t even manage that. 

Take a look into 11 Self-Sabotaging Habits You Need To Get Rid Of ASAP, and hunt your bad habits down. 

8. Travel to a new destination

9. Get out of your comfort zone

Real growth and success always lie outside of your comfort zone. To create the extraordinary life of your dreams, you have to step out of your cozy little shell and conquer your fears. 

To do that, you could challenge yourself to do something that is beyond your comfort zone at least once every month. 

If you make it a habit, it will become easier, and before you know it, your comfort zone extends so much further than at the beginning of 2020. 

10. Buy presents on time 

Are you one of those people who always struggle to find the right gift a few days before the birthday of a friend or shortly before Christmas? 

Not this year! Pay close attention to the interests and wishes that your friends and family voice throughout the year. 

I guarantee you; you will quickly get ideas on what to gift them. And once you have one of these ideas, write it down so that when the gift time approaches, you are prepared. 

11. Create a stream of passive income

Creating a stream of passive income seems impossible to most people. And those who have started to believe that it is indeed possible are often still intimidated by the prospect of getting started. 

However, what would you say if I told you it is entirely realistic to create a good stream of passive income within a year or even a few months? 

There are countless entrepreneurs out there who have started to make a substantial income through their business within a few months or few years. 

Can you imagine yourself in one, two, or three years being at a point where you don’t have to work a 9-to-5 to support yourself financially? 

How amazing would that be!!! 

I know the beginning can be daunting, but I encourage you to get started with your business or whatever idea for a passive stream of income you have.  

It is now the end of 2019, and I’ve been working on my business for almost a year now. I can’t believe how fast the time has flown by, and I am unbelievably glad that I had the guts to start this journey. I am not yet at a point of financial freedom, but I can feel myself getting closer and closer every single day. Gosh, I already get excited just thinking about it! 

If you want some help with your this goal you might want to check out: 

• 9 Reasons You Should Start A Business
• K Money Mastery, a course that teaches you to publish hundreds of Kindle Books without having to write a single one of them 
• Paid by Pinterest, an ebook/course that gives you the basics on how to make money through Pinterest 

12. Create a mindset of abundance 

This will not be an easy goal for you, but it will definitely be worth it. Try to analyze your thoughts for a while and figure out where you are having limiting beliefs. 

Do any of these thoughts occur regularly to you? 

• I can’t afford to buy that
•  Time is running out again! I will never be able to complete all of my tasks. 
• I won’t find a parking spot anyway. 
• Why should they choose me? I am just one among many. 

Very often, it is not the circumstances we live in that limit us but more so our thoughts. 

If you create a more abundant mindset, your brain will automatically search for things that will confirm that belief. 

Suddenly, you will have all the time in the world, or you will find just the perfect parking spot. 

Try it out. It will take you quite some time to get out of your past pattern, but it will be worth it!

13. Spend time with your loved ones 

Your loved ones are one of the essential parts of your life. Could you even imagine going through life without a single person – family, or friends – you loved and cared about? 

These are the people that support us. The people we are excited to tell our successes to. 

Yet, many people seem to take them for granted or prioritize their job over them. 

But 2020 is going to be different! For 2020 I challenge you to make time for your loved ones deliberately. 

You could set the goal to call every family member at least once a month and see your closer family members maybe once a week. 

Why not set the goal to go out with your friends at least once a month? 

This will result in a lot of quality time spend with your loved ones and many enjoyable memories you can look back on throughout your life. 

14. Create monthly goals and keep track of them

Many people set themselves at least one New Years Resolution. But shockingly enough, the vast majority of these resolutions get abandoned even before February arrives. 

As Felicity Seekers, we don’t set new years resolutions but goals. Goals we can measure, goals we keep track of, and goals we will reach until the end of the year. 

Now, a big key to accomplishing all your goals for 2020 is to not tackle them all at once. There are 12 months or 52 weeks ahead of you. You should spread your goals out over this timespan. 

This will make it less overwhelming for you to accomplish them. And to make sure you are on track, you should review each month and see where you’ve made progress and where you could still improve. 

Now, this is where we finally come to the Free Printable I have promised you. This will help you to keep track of the most critical areas of your life each month. 

I’ve started doing this for 2019, and I loved it! It gave me such a feeling of accomplishment to see all the things I’ve done written down on paper. 

This can also give you some closure if your month wasn’t as successful (that happens to all of us, don’t beat yourself up on it). 

I highly encourage you to try it out! After all, the printable is free ;D

15. Enjoy 2020 for what it is!

Setting Goals and accomplishing them to create the life of your dreams is great. However, please don’t get too lost in the things you are chasing. 

You should take 2020 for what it is and enjoy it as a unique time in your life. 

I hope that gets you as excited as I am for 2020. Please tell me in the comments down below what you think about the Printable. Could I improve on anything? 

I wish you the most amazing, successful, passionate, and overall extraordinary 2020 you could ever hope for. 

Sophie

Decisiveness is one of those critical skills you need to have for success in life.

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1. Realize that deciding at all is better than choosing perfectly

One of the biggest things that keep us from making decisions quickly is the fear of making the wrong decision.

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

– Theodore Roosevelt

Your decision doesn´t need to be perfect. It primarily needs to be made. True leaders do not excel by making the right decision every single time. They stand out by having the habit of making decisions quickly and in the best possible way.

So get rid of that self-sabotaging habit of perfectionism.

2. Eliminate small decisions

We, humans, make endless small decisions throughout the day. You are not aware of it, but studies suggest that the average human makes around 35.000 decisions each day!

Of course, our brain gets a bit more tired after each decision it has to make. So you should not only try to make big decisions at the beginning of the day but also reduce the overall number of small choices you make.

3. Dare to be uncomfortable

If you take comfort out of the decision-making process, things will become much more manageable.

Very often, there is that one decision, we know is logical to make. But it makes us much more uncomfortable than its alternative.

You need to learn to embrace stepping out of your comfort zone and being uncomfortable. That is the only way you will truly grow, and the only way to create the extraordinary life of your dreams.

So once you start to seek out uncomfortableness and shift it from your contra to your pro list, decisiveness will follow.

4. Think long-term

Many people find it daunting to think about the effects a decision will have in the long run.

However, thinking long-term can also boost your decisiveness.

Imagine yourself in five or ten years and look back on the decision you have to make right now. Which one do you think your future self will thank you most for?

5. Realize that not deciding wastes your time

Sometimes we do not decide on something because we tell ourselves that we still have time to do so.

And that might be true, but until you have decided there will always be that little nagging thought in the back of your mind, that will remind you of the open decision.

As soon as you realize how much time of being happy you waste by delaying your decision, being decisive will become much more accessible to you.

6. Analyze why you are undecisive

Sometimes we spend so much time obsessing over a problem without even really knowing what the problem is.

Take a step back, listen to some music, do yoga, meditate, and simply breathe. Then look at the decision you have to make again.

Why is it so hard for you to be decisive? Start a pro-contra list for every choice you have.

Having everything logically and clearly laid out in front of you will do wonders for your decisiveness.

7. Gauge the worst and best case scenario

This one always helps me immensely. And although it seems like a rather obvious thought process, I feel like many people don´t think about it while they desperately try to decide for something.

So for every difficult decision you have to make, think about the best and the worst-case scenario.

Before I started this blog, I did just that.

The best-case scenario would obviously be me becoming financially free, living a life of passion, not having to work a 9-to-5, and traveling the world.

The worst-case scenario would have been that I wasted a few thousand euro, which I could earn back within 1-2 months. But I would have still gotten a ton of experience, and I would have no regrets later on in life.

Putting these two options next to each other, the logical choice seemed evident to me.

8. Set yourself a deadline

This one is important. You can´t ponder over a decision forever! First of all, you are wasting that time being anxious over which decision you should make.

Second of all, many people have made the experience, that quick and intuitive decisions, after having accumulated all the facts, are the best ones.

So once you have all the facts and are ready to decide, set yourself a deadline of 5 minutes, 10 minutes, an hour, or at most a day.

You will feel so much better after having finally made the decision. And then you can go back to enjoying life.

9. Flip a coin

Ok, before you declare me crazy, hear me out. Of course, I do not expect you to make a life decision by merely flipping a coin.

But in some situations, it can be somewhat of a guide.

Flip a coin and look at the result. Do you feel good about it? If not, you probably will quickly change your mind and follow the other option.

So this is some ultimate tool to lure out the decision you feel best with.

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The next time you struggle to make a decision, put at least one of these tips into action. Some might work better for you than others. But I am convinced that you will find them helpful.

Please, share your results using these tips down below. This will motivate your fellow Felicity Seekers and make the lessons stick in your mind.

As always, I wish you all the happiness and success of the world!

Until next time,

Sophie

Most often in life, it isn’t the circumstances we live under that keep us from living the life of our dreams – although we like to tell ourselves that. No, the thing that keeps us from having success and being happy is our self-sabotaging habits.

If you are reading this, you are a Felicity Seeker like me. Our quest for an extraordinary life forces us to become more self-aware. Therefore, I am sure you already know and have admitted to yourself that you do have self-sabotaging habits.

Maybe you even already got rid of some of them. In that case, congratulations! You are already one step closer to that extraordinary life than most people.

Whether or not you’ve already mastered some of your worst habits, there are most likely always a few of them you still practice.

Transforming self-sabotaging habits into good ones isn’t a one-time task. Throughout your life, you will continue to adopt negative habits unconsciously. That’s completely normal.

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1. Negative Self Talk

Do you ever find yourself saying things like:

• “Oh, I am so clumsy.”
• “I am stupid. How could I do that?”
• “I am simply not smart enough to study that.”
• “Oh, I’ve got absolutely no talent in that.”

If you’ve ever noticed yourself thinking or saying anything like that, you need to STOP IT IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!

Through thinking and saying these things, you condition yourself to actually being like that. But you could be so much more!

Jen Sincero first introduced me in her book “You Are A Badass” to the concept that we tell ourselves specific stories.

Unconsciously we do this because we get something out of them. Sometimes they are an excuse for us why we didn’t achieve much. Sometimes we want to get sympathy from others. Or they are simply an excuse for us, why we don’t even need to try something.

One story I found I always tell myself is that I am just not good at learning stuff by heart or that I am simply no auditory learner. As soon as I realised that, I started to stop myself whenever I thought one of these stories. Instead, I would repeat a positive affirmation.

“I can remember things quickly and effortlessly.”

I still haven’t completely overcome that self-sabotaging habit. But from time to time, I do get that glimpse that I am actually capable of studying quickly and effortlessly. So why should I tell myself otherwise?

2. Procrastination

There are countless videos and articles on the internet on how to stop procrastinating and instead hustle until there is no tomorrow. So I don’t want to go into too much detail on that.

I am also sure you already know that you are procrastinating when you are watching Netflix or YouTube videos instead of doing work.

But there is a different kind of procrastination. One that I find myself doing from time to time. I call it the “productive procrastination.”

When you procrastinate productively, you merely do a different task that needs to be done, although you do know that it isn’t urgent or essential.

Productive procrastination is somewhat tricky because it doesn’t leave you with the guilt of usual procrastination. But it still results in the same problems for the task you delay.

3. Perfectionism

Perfectionism can be a great thing. It can be a habit that will make you stand out from everyone else.

However, you need to know when it is time to be a perfectionist, and when you simply need to move on.

For example, a lot of people who want to start a business, are waiting for that “perfect” time, when all the stars are aligned to get started.

That’s self-sabotaging perfectionism. There will never be that perfect time, so waiting for it is merely wasting your time. Yes, maybe next month will be better for you to get started with your business because right now, you have a lot of things going on, and if you take on any more tasks, you might burn out.

The key is to realise when your perfectionism has been going on for too long and when it has only become an excuse because you are afraid to take that next step.

4. Limiting yourself to other people´s opinions

Do you notice your thoughts and feelings being shaped by other people? It can be as simple as you loving a movie until you hear others criticising it.

Or you might adopt the belief that money is hard to earn, that you cannot start a successful business with little money and within a year from home while being a full-time student.

Just because other people think that, doesn’t mean you need to believe it, too!

Stop paying so much attention to other people’s opinions and instead listen to your feelings.

5. Rushing through life

This might be one of the saddest self-sabotaging habits that, unfortunately, seems to have grown into a widespread problem of the 21st century.

People nowadays always look into the future, to the next task they need or want to do.

6. Acting out of a place of lack

I genuinely believe that the energy you send out into the universe you receive back. The best example for that is one of those days where simply everything seems to go wrong. Did you ever wonder why that is?

It happens because, after that first mishap, it could be you stubbing your toe, you enter a negative state of mind. You cuss out the universe and continue your morning quite grumpily. Then the next thing you know is that you’ve spilled your coffee, which sours your mood even more and so on.

If you act out of a place of lack, you are only attracting more of that lack into your life. Instead, make it a habit to respond out of a place of abundance and see how it changes your life in the long run.

Next time you write an exam, go in there like you have the confidence and brains of Tony Stark and Sherlock Holmes combined. You have to write that exam anyway, so why act all miserable and keep telling yourself that you are going to fail?

Why not tell yourself that you are going to rock this! The worst that will happen is that you are a bit disappointed if it didn’t work out, but at least you were happier doing it.

7. Not setting and sticking to clear boundaries

You have to set clear boundaries in your life! Eliminate that habit of always saying “Yes” to requests. Learn to say no. Not only to others but also to yourself, when you feel like you have to keep pushing even though you deserve that time off.

Life gets so much easier and more enjoyable if you have clear boundaries.

8. Searching for external happiness

Happiness can only be found within. If you can’t find joy in your current life, more money, better looks, or a relationship will not be able to bring it to you either.

Why else do you think are there so many celebrities, who seemingly have it all, but are depressed or even commit suicide?

Stop searching for external happiness and instead focus that energy on cultivating inner happiness. It will not be a quick process, but it will be one you will benefit from for the rest of your life!

9. A lack of self-care

10. Following drama

Yes, drama can be fun. Especially we women seem to LOVE drama. However, the drama also distracts you from your own life, and it more often than not brings out the not so good parts of you.

So be careful of the dose of drama you surround yourself with.

11. Escaping life through entertainment

Have you ever wondered why people are so obsessed with entertainment in the form of YouTube, Social Media, or Netflix?

Why they use it to procrastinate essential tasks they should be doing?

One big reason for that is that entertainment is an effortless way to escape the difficulties or unpleasantness of real life.

I am sure you know that feeling of losing yourself in an excellent series or a thrilling movie. You forget everything around you, and time seems to fly by. You are diving into the fictional world and through that escaping your reality.

I am not saying that entertainment per se is bad. The variety of entertainment we humans have created is simply stunning! You can experience every possible emotion through entertainment and find immense inspiration and motivation in it.

But the key is to use it intentionally as a tool for something good. Not to escape your unpleasant reality.

You should replace that self-sabotaging habit of escaping reality through entertainment, by taking massive action to shape life into something you never want to avoid.

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If you’ve taken the time to honestly analyse yourself and check that none of these habits apply to you, you can pat yourself on the back.

Not many people would take the time to do that and sacrifice their “precious” Netflix time. This proves that you have it in you to create that extraordinary life of your dreams.

All you need to do now is take one step after the other. Just keep the ball moving. If you do that, you will reach your goals.

An incredible way to keep moving forward is my Reading List for Personal Growth. How many of these amazing books have you already read?

I wish you all the happiness in the world!

Sophie

By now, you’ve probably all heard about FOMO – fear of missing out. Recently this word has started to spread over social media and the internet like a wildfire.

Thousands of people can connect with the feeling of FOMO, and I admit to being one of them. At first, I was thrilled to find out that there is such a perfect expression for the way I was feeling from time to time.

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1. Get clear over what you are missing out and analyse if it is something you actually want

Sometimes we get caught up in that FOMO when we see other people doing something that looks great on the outside. However, try to imagine yourself doing it. Would you actually want to do it?

Meaning, are you envying the feeling of the activity or more the appearance of it?

I often found myself having FOMO, but when I thought about it, I realised it wasn’t even something I would have wanted to do. That realisation eliminates your evil thoughts in no time.

2. Think about what you would miss out if you would participate

The problem with FOMO is, of course, that we only have 24 hours in a day, and we can’t be in multiple places at the same time.

Meaning, if you would participate in the activity that you fear to miss out on, you would inevitably miss out on something else.

If you go to that party, you miss out on having a beautiful and relaxing evening at home.

If you check your social media every half an hour to make sure you never miss anything “important,” you miss out enjoying the now.

You should always take a step back, and consider if this would even be a trade worth making. Because as soon as you decide that what you are currently doing is more important, you lessen that feeling of missing out on something you desire less.

In the end, it’s all about how you want to spend to your time, how you prioritise it. Therefore I strongly recommend you to take a look at 15 Ways To Spend Your Time Wisely.

3. Think about times you or others have missed out on something, was it that bad?

I am sure you’ve had those moments before, where you couldn’t go to that party, or you couldn’t meet up with those friends, or you had no internet connection to stay up to date on social media.

Think back to those moments. Have you really missed out on something important? Was it something so significant as to justify that immense fear of missing out?

I doubt many of you can answer that with a yes. So why keep worrying if nothing wrong ever came from it?

4. Overcome your limiting beliefs

More often than not, this fear of missing out stems from the limiting belief that this is a one in a kind opportunity that will never be available again.

And sure, that one specific party on that one particular day will never happen again. But don’t you think there will be a lot of similar parties in the future?

Sometimes, there are moments in our life where we are presented with a one of a kind opportunity that could change our lives forever. Of course, in those moments, FOMO should be your motivation to go for it.

However, most often then not, these are not moments in which we experience FOMO. Those are moments in which we are too scared to take a risk and go for it.

In which case you should definitely think about the lessons in 7 Reasons Why Failure Is Important For Success.

FOMO mostly surrounds very mundane activities. Those kinds of opportunities that happen all the time. So don’t let FOMO destroy the now. Instead, look forward to the next opportunity.

5. Slow down

Sometimes all we need to stop these toxic thoughts is to slow down. Try to incorporate a daily practice of mindfulness and meditation.

A calming Yoga flow can also stop your mind from going 200 mph.

Next time you feel FOMO, try one of these practices, and then reevaluate the situation. I am sure you will feel more rational about it and realise that there is not much to miss out on.

6. Practice gratitude

Gratitude is the antidote for all of life’s negativity. If you are grateful for what you do experience right now, you can’t fear to miss out on anything at the same moment.

Of course, in the beginning, it won’t be easy to feel grateful for anything when you have those negative thoughts going through your head.

That’s why it’s so important to practice gratitude daily. Start small and list three things every morning that you appreciate in your life. After a while, you can take the next step, and every time you catch yourself, being stressed, anxious, or depressed, try to feel grateful for something in your life.

With time this will get easier and easier, and before you know it, gratitude will get you out of any negative state within seconds.

7. Step away from social media

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the most significant fuel of FOMO is social media. And if you take away its fuel, the fire will slowly but inevitably become smaller and smaller.

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I hope these 7 tips will help you overcome that FOMO and enjoy living your life even more.

As always, I encourage you to keep working towards that extraordinary life of your dreams. I know at times it may seem like you are not making any progress, but each day that you are working towards it, you are planting a seed that will sprout in the future.

I believe in you!

Sophie