The Top 10 Ways that Complications Keep You Stuck Do you ever notice that life seems excessively complicated? Do you ever wonder why? Because we make it complicated. Many of us have been taught that things are suppose to be complicated, that things are suppose to be a struggle, that things are painful and that this is how we grow. But in actuality, this is what keeps us stuck, standing in place, and distracted from creating the life we want. All these complications are covering up who you are, and what you want. Here are a list of common complications and some strategies to remove them from your life. Removing roadblocks will create opportunities to take your life in the direction you choose. 1. Time This is the number one complication that we throw up. We don't have time to exercise, we don't have time to clean out our closet, and we don't have time to spend with ourselves. How much time did you spend last week on activities that don't have meaning for you? Why aren't you as important? Make a commitment to yourself by starting small and take 15 minutes each and every day to work on whatever has been on your mind. 2. Clutter It is so easy to get sucked into clutter and lose everything else along the way. Clutter keeps you distracted by taking up space and energy. We can't pay attention to what we want when we are in a chaotic environment. Start removing clutter from a small space, preferably the most favorite place in your home. Do you feel the easing in your body? Do you start to gravitate towards that spot? Do you feel a sense of peace? Keep expanding the circle so that your home becomes your haven. 3. To-Do's How can we focus on the big picture when we have a continuous list of details taking our focus? Get rid of the to-do list. You will not forget what is important and needs to be accomplished. We tell ourselves that we have to do all these activities in order to sustain our lives but it is just a distraction. If it is a chore and you don't feel like doing it, why are you forcing yourself? Start by getting rid of at least one to-do and work your way up from there. 4. Struggle This is both a sign and a symptom. Most of us are taught that struggle is normal and necessary to move forward. Is this really the case? When things are easy and flowing in our life, good things happen. When you are struggling, things don't go your way. So when you start to struggle it is a sign that you are working against your intentions. Use struggle as a clue for what is not working for you in your life right now. 5. Guilt We use guilt for all sorts of reasons. Guilt is a very powerful emotion; it gets in our way and prevents us from moving forward. We use guilt as a way to keep good things from happening to us. Ask yourself why don't you think you deserve good things in your life? What can you do to change your perception? Examine your guilt, is it something you have control over? What is the root cause? 6. Saying yes Helping people is a wonderful character trait, but sometimes it gets in the way. Helping people can also be a way of avoiding what you need to do in your own life. Sometimes you have to say no. It is difficult to work on your life if you are always putting the needs of others before your own. 7. Over scheduling Somewhere along the way we have convinced ourselves that every second of our lives has to be planned out. It is hard to put our focus to new things when we have every second from morning till night filled. When we go on autopilot and are just busy doing we sometimes lose sight of the fact that some of our activities no longer fit us. Examine your activities. How do they serve you? Look at your schedule. Does it still make sense? Are you in a rut? Where are the opportunities to break out? 8. Shoulds The never-ending list of all the things we should do. It's tiring just thinking about it. Here is a question, why? Why do you have to do all these things? Who tells you that this is the requirement? We have choices in life. Examine yours. Do things because you want to do them, not because you think you have to or you should do. 9. Limiting Beliefs We have many beliefs in life, both good and bad. Awareness of your beliefs is a key factor to changing them. A lot of times we are not even aware that we have a belief that is limiting our ability to move forward because they are so much a part of us it feels like who we are. Start to notice how you think about things and situations. Do you notice a pattern? When you see the pattern determine the belief behind it. How does that belief serve you both positively and negativity? Is there a different way to look at it? One that fits more with who you are and where you want to go. 10. Negative Self-Talk The terrible things you say to yourself are getting in your way. Ask yourself, would you ever talk to another person the way you talk to yourself? All of that negative self-talk wears you down and zaps your energy. It is very difficult to work up the energy to change your life when you keep bringing yourself down. Start to become conscious of the things you say to yourself. Start to shift your thinking to thoughts that serve you better. Jennifer Ottolino