1. Thoughts

Your thoughts control your life. The thoughts you give power to, determine how you feel and how you see the world. In reality, thoughts are nothing but suggestions that pop up from nowhere. They come and go.  Yet when we get a scary thought, we believe it. We start analyzing, worrying and trying to prevent disaster, when there is nothing to prevent. If you observe your thoughts without getting involved, you allow them to pass. Many of them will try to lure you in, but just keep breathing. Most of your worries, fears, and uncertainties come from you. You create them. They don’t actually exist. And this brings us to the second mistake.

2. Dreaming

You can do what you love.  You can have the life you want. I’m not just here to give you a pep-talk. I’m here to shake you out of the imaginary shackles you’ve put yourself in. Many of my readers and clients come to me with a dream. But that dream is impractical. They think they have to have or be something before they can take action toward that dream, but nothing ever stands in your way, except you. Throw away your excuses. Throw away your reasons why you can’t do something. Start today. Ask yourself: what can I do right now that makes my heart sing?

3. Control

You can’t change other people. They have their own life to live. If you try to control or change anyone, you’ll end up wasting your energy. I did this for many years.  And believe me, I really tried to change people. I tried to “help” them. But helping someone doesn’t come from changing them, it comes from changing you. When you change, you become an example of what is possible. When you stop trying to change others, you can start tochange your life. You can start to move toward what really matters to you. And if some friends fall away because of this, then so be it.

4. Lack of Focus

Do you know what you want?  Most people don’t. And I’m not saying you have to be crystal clear about what you want, but you do have to have some kind of goal. It can be anything, but it has to be something that propels you forward. But just having focus is not enough, you also need action.

5. Lack of Action

You have to be willing to take action even if you’re confused.  You will be scared, overwhelmed and worried, but you have to keep moving forward. You can’t figure things out if you don’t take action. It’s not through mental aerobics that you’ll get the perfect life, but through taking action. Always.  Move. Forward.  If you take nothing else from this article, then let it be that.

6. Irresponsibility

And above all, you have to take responsibility for your life. No one owes you anything. If your life isn’t the way you want it to be, you alone have to power to change it. And yes, there may be circumstances in your life that cannot be changed, but there is always something you can do. If you choose to do nothing, then that is your choice. But nothing happens until you take responsibility for your life. You can whine and complain, but it won’t change a thing. I know that.  You know that.

7. Refusal to Listen

Last, but not least, you have to be willing to trust yourself. Whenever we lose touch with what we want, we become depressed, stuck, and life feels meaningless. Stop listening to anyone but yourself. In the end, you have to make the decision about what you want to do, and who you want to become. Follow your heart. Where do you want to go next? What do you really want to do? It’s time to stop fooling yourself and take action. Are you ready?  

Written on 10/18/2012 by Henri Junttila. Henri is a freelance writer and the founder of Wake Up Cloud, where he helps people turn their passion into a thriving lifestyle business. When you feel ready to take action, get his free special report.