You Don't Have To Take More Than You Can To Be Successful | The Odyssey Online
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You Don't Have To Take More Than You Can To Be Successful

Being successful comes from within and doing things that don't fulfill you won't get you where you want to be.

Iara Vivas
Jan 08, 2018
University of Central Florida
81
You Don't Have To Take More Than You Can To Be Successful
Andreas Klassen

If you're anything like me, you have a hard time accepting that maybe, just maybe, you're trying to work on too many things at the same time. I mean, I get it. I'm right there with you trying to work on things to create a better future for myself. But I also know that the same ambition that drives me also holds me back. Perhaps you feel the same way...and that is not OK, at all.

Do you know why you take more than you can handle? Because you feel like you have to prove something to yourself. Because you don't know exactly what it is you're supposed to be doing, so you do everything. Because you're scared that you might fail and maybe by doing a lot of things you'll have something to fall back on.

I know you're always tired and you're always complaining because you don't have time for yourself. I know it feels like it's never going to end. I know it makes you feel "productive", but at the end of the day, you feel empty. I know that it seems like nobody understands how much weight you carry on your shoulders. I know that all these things you do, you do them because society tells you that you need to be productive 24/7. I know that you feel pressured to succeed.

Being successful is not about how much you can do or how big the things you do appear to be. Being successful is not about doing everything on your own. Being successful is not about always having everything figured out. Being successful is not about fulfilling your parents, friends, significant other's dreams. Being successful is not about living up to other people's standards.

Being successful comes from within. Doing things just to do them won't bring you that sense of accomplishment in the long run. Perhaps being successful means dedicating all of you to what you truly want, even if it means that you won't be as "productive" in other areas of your life.

Think of it this way, maybe if you give up some of the things you do that are really not that important to you, or if you stop spending unnecessary energy on people who are not worth it, then perhaps you'll have time to concentrate on what you truly want. Remember is not about how much you have on your plate, but the quality of what you have.

Society expects certain things of everyone, I know. But this is your only life and the success you achieve will only be validated by what you think of what you've accomplished. Nothing else really matters, but what you think and expect of yourself after all you are your own worst critic.

So, be kind to yourself and stop blocking your potential by adding unnecessary stressors to your life.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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