It is only natural that we have defense mechanism to protect our feelings. Most of these defenses cloud our minds, however, stopping us from achieving our true potential. I recently read a blog post written by Mark Manson, author of “The Subtle Art of Not Giving an F*”. His post inspired me to examine these lies and I thought I would share my top 3 that I believe stops us from moving forward in our lives and reaching our goals. The lies we tell ourselves:

1. I am too busy to do xyz. The truth is, if we are completely honest with ourselves, we make time for what is important to us. Sometimes a certain goal sounds good, until it comes time to put in the effort and really when it comes right down to it…. these things are just not important enough to us to be worth the time or effort. Be honest with yourself when you say your too busy. Realize that if it were important, you would find a way.
2. I will finally be happy when….. We will never be completely happy based on any one particular thing in our life. We are biologically wired to always want more. Learn to love and enjoy the journey!
3. I am going to look stupid if I say or do…. The truth is most people are too busy worrying about what you think of them to spend time judging you. This really comes down to an issue of insecurity and how you may feel about yourself. Remember, there are no instant success stories. They only seem that way. People who have done amazing things, have made many mistakes and imperfect steps to reach their success. Take that first imperfect step and be kind to yourself when it is less than perfect because that is the only way to actually achieve great things!