1. Social media

Social media is a great tool for communication but is also a great distraction from dealing with the issues that will help you achieve more, especially if you spend hours hypnotically scrolling through your social media pages.

2. Bitching and complaining

Bitching and complaining is one of the fastest ways to disempower yourself from achieving more. In life we get 3 choices. We can control ourselves, our actions, thoughts and emotions. We can influence others through the previous or we can move on. Outside of these 3 choices we become disempowered. Those who try to control others through lack of self control will struggle to achieve as will those who try to consistently change everything outside of themselves without taking self responsibility.

3. Excuses

Excuses are just a way of justifying why we cannot meet our own expectations or commitments. Those who consistently have excuses feel that they have justified their lack of actions or flexibility to others yet they have only justified it to themselves.

4. Television

There is nothing wrong with a little bit of television from time to time, yet the average Australian spends 78 hours per month (That’s 936 hours per year from only just over 2 hours per day on average).

Next time, ask yourself…

• Why am I watching this show?
• If you said to relax, the next question is: Relax from what?
• Why do you need to relax?
• Is TV really relaxing or just avoiding?

5. Using food as an emotional suppressant

Food is necessary for most to survive (unless you are fasting or a breatharian). Yet food has become the drug of choice for many in our society to suppress their emotions epically under times of stress.

Ask yourself, before overeating or binge eating…

What emotions am I trying to suppress or what thoughts am I avoiding dealing with?

6. Unhealthy diet

A poor diet not only leads to dis-ease but also has implications on your effectiveness each day. A poor diet can lead to low energy, emotional peaks and troughs, forgetfulness, lack of focus and more.

7. Lack of movement

A 2015 study on business leaders found that a greater number of higher achieving entrepreneurs exercised, moved more and had a healthier diet than their corporate executive counterparts. The study also found that those who moved more and had a better diet had less sick days, worked longer hours and took greater enjoyment in their daily activities.

Movement is essential for the movement of lymph throughout the body, removing toxins. Movement is also essential for correct functioning of the musculoskeletal system, reduced injuries and an over all greater feeling of wellbeing.

8. Poor posture

Poor posture is becoming a social norm in westernised countries due to most people spending the majority of their day sitting, laying or doing repetitive tasks. Poor posture not only effects our physical body through increased injuries, pain and inability to move or function correctly but studies have shown that poor posture also affects a person’s mental and emotional states.

9. Bad Breathing patterns

Oxygen is the most highly utilised nutrient in the human body. Our body will do anything to maintain efficient oxygen levels. Poor posture, bloating, overeating, stress and more all change the body’s ability to maintain correct breathing patterns. It is due to this that many postural problems occur as the body will do what it needs in order to maintain oxygen levels which may mean changing the muscles used for breathing from the respiratory muscles to the larger superficial muscles of the neck, chest, back, shoulders.

Science has shown us that correct breathing and oxygen level can reduce pain, increase brain function, reduce acidity in the blood and even combat certain bacteria and viruses by increasing immune function.

10. Unhealthy Relationships

This is an obvious one yet many people don’t take time to look at their relationships and question if the people they are hanging around are adding value to their lives or taking away value (time, energy, knowledge).

Ask yourself…

Is this person increasing or decreasing the quality of my life?

Wrap Up

If you want to achieve more then it’s important to consistently check in with yourself and make sure you don’t slip back into old habits or habits that seem to be normal in our society. One of the greatest justifications that stops most people in society is that it’s okay because others do it and it’s normal. Normal is average and as humans we weren’t born to be average. We were born to be extraordinary.