8 Beliefs of Mediocre Minds

Your beliefs impact your decisions and actions. Your beliefs are one of the foundational constructs that determine the outcomes in your life.

If you have beliefs that support a mediocre life, you can expect your life to be mediocre. It would be like trying to build a skyscraper on a foundation of 2x4s. Ineffective beliefs can’t support an awesome life that pleases you.

Eliminate these beliefs from your mind and free yourself to build the life you desire:

1. It’s always been done that way. When something has always been done a certain way, there’s likely to be another way that’s even better. Just because something has been done a certain way for a long time doesn’t mean you should just accept it.
   
   

•  For example, everyone used to walk. Then the wheel was invented, and wagons and carriages were developed. Cars and airplanes eventually followed. Who knows what might be next?
  
  

1. It’s not my fault. People with mediocre results in life make a habit of failing to take responsibility for their failures and misfortunes. It’s always someone else’s fault, such as:
   
   

•  “My boss hates me.”
•  “I had terrible parents.”
•  “I attract the wrong people.”
•  “I have bad luck.”
•  “I was born into an unfortunate situation.”
  
  
•  Whether it’s your fault or not, the best policy is to take responsibility for your situation. It’s your only hope, because no one else is likely to save you.
  
  

1. It’s too late for me. It can be too late for certain things. If you’re 30, you probably won’t be able to revive your dream of playing quarterback in the NFL. At 70, it’s most likely too late to go to medical school.
   
   

•  However, it’s rarely too late for certain things. You can still find love, start a business, learn how to dance, or write a book.
  
  
•  It can become less convenient to do certain things beyond a certain age, but many things are still possible.
  
  

1. I can do it tomorrow. Mediocre minds fool themselves into thinking that it’s okay to get started tomorrow, on Monday, the first of the month, or the first of the year.
   
   

•  The truth is that time is running out for everyone. It’s just closer to running out for some than it is for others. Procrastination kills your options and your future. Just get started.
  
  

1. Comfort is more important than growth. Few people consciously think this way, but many people live this way. Our brains are wired to seek comfort and safety. This is a sure recipe to make little progress in life.
   
   

•  Take a chance on building a more interesting and rewarding life. If you pursue comfort, you’re limiting your life.
  
  

1. It will be better to do this in the future. We fool ourselves into thinking we’ll do things in the future as a way of letting ourselves off the hook today. We think that there will be time to patch up our relationship later. We’ll have more time to spend with our loved ones someday. We’ll go back to school in a few years.
   
   

•  There will never be a time that’s perfectly convenient. Just start doing it now.
  
  

1. Owning this thing will make me feel better. Why do we buy things we don’t need? It works something like this: We imagine buying or owning something, and if it feels good, we’re likely to buy it if we can. Unfortunately, this is just a trap.
   
   

•  You’ll likely never purchase anything that will make you feel better for more than a month. The one possible exception is buying something that you actually use regularly, such as a piano. You might love playing the piano, but you’ll never love just owning a piano.
  
  

1. It’s okay to talk about others. Small minds talk about other people. But this hurts you in several ways. It’s a waste of your time. It can come back to haunt you. You also teach other people that you’re likely to talk about them at some point. None of these are beneficial to your life.
   
   

•  The smartest people like to talk about ideas. Talking about ideas will benefit you in more ways than you can imagine!

If you have some of these ineffective beliefs that limit you and your life, now is the time to begin challenging those beliefs. Adopt beliefs that will serve your life rather than unnecessarily restrict it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the way your life changes!