5 Innocent Habits That Could Be Holding You Back

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…and I’m not talking about procrastination or eating with a big plate instead of a little one. I’m talking about those genuinely innocent habits that you would never suspect of being detrimental. Every one of them stems from good intentions but they almost always manage to spiral out of control. Some will shock you, others will sting just a little

Scheduling Your Workouts:
Sounds innocent enough…until you miss a day, then another, then a week, a month, three months…you get the picture. Where did you go wrong to begin with? I’ll tell you. It’s the schedule. You see, when most people create a workout plan, they also schedule “days off” in between workouts. I learned from a trainer on K-Love that if you are serious about exercising, you have to do it every day. That’s right. Every single day, you put on your running shoes and get some fresh air (or gym air). There’s no time for “time off”. The moment you schedule days that don’t involve some type of intentional physical activity, you’re giving yourself a legitimate reason to skimp on exercising.

Venting:
Venting is GREAT but who says your vents always have to come out of your mouth? Some of my most epic vents have come out in the form of some of the most liked posts on this website; others have taken the form of certain grades in certain classes back when I was in college. It’s a powerful thing to be able to channel your frustrations or passions into something tangible that benefits somebody. The next time you are feeling tiffed about something, pick up your computer and turn that negative energy it into a chapter in a book, a verse in a song, or put on your running shoes and go for a nice long run. You’ll eventually find that it’s fun to discover creative ways to get things off your chest.

Looking Forward To The Weekends (Every Weekend):
I know some people that grunt all the way to work/school on Mondays, spend Tuesday through Thursday waiting for Friday, do nothing all day on Saturday to make up for the crappy week, then spend the whole of Sunday dreading Monday. One day, I sat down and did the math. Weekends are precisely 2/7th of the week—if you allow your weeks to coast by so you can live it up on the weekends, guess what? You’re giving away 5/7th or a whopping 70% of your life on a weekly basis. If you’re already feeling as though life is passing you by, this might be a tough habit to break; but as my African brothers and sisters always say, no condition is permanent.

Waiting For Your Big Break:
I like dreamers. They inspire, challenge, confuse, and often times amuse me. My family is full of them: writers, professionals, reporters, singers, you name it, the Olaosebikans/Osunloyes/Yoloyes have dreamed it; so naturally, I think it’s great to dream BUT who says you have to wait for your big break? Everybody knows that nothing breaks unprovoked. Relish your dream but rather than wait, go ahead and unabashedly break whatever needs to be broken.

Groupthink:
I’d like to meet all the people that thought of inventing silly bandz but never did because so and so said it was a silly idea (pun intended). Share your ideas with people because you know they can help you achieve your goals, share your passions with people because you know they can provide meaningful critique, divulge your craziness to even strangers because you suspect they have traveled a similar road—but don’t ever share a personal idea with someone for the sole purpose of receiving their approval before giving it a shot. It’s natural to want to receive approval from others, but few things are more painful than regretting not doing something your gut was telling you to do.

As you might imagine, I’m as guilty of many of these habits as the person next door. Nonetheless, I like to think that we are all masterpieces in different stages of completion. Until next time, stay motivated!

Honorable Mentions
This post was featured on CP-Africa, a progressive resource for breaking good news straight out of Africa. Founder, Nmachi Jidenma, has written extensively on African strategy, politics and business in dailies such as Next and Business Day. Join the movement here