Overcome The Feeling Of Always Being Behind

Do you have a fear of being left behind? This fear happens every year to practically everyone. New Year's resolutions rear their ugly head, and you try to set your yearly goals, but you already feel like you haven't accomplished the goals you set for this past year. With this world based around productivity, there is a constant push of needing to move and do more. This feeling makes us feel like we are already way behind, even if we aren't.

Whenever you wake up in the morning, do you feel the slightest touch of anxiety? Do you feel the need to get up and get moving on your tasks? Do you check your mail and social media messages before you actually get out of bed?

When you're feeling behind in life, you start your day early and deal with a lot of emails, work tasks, household chores, and other things just to get ahead. With your busy schedule, you forget to take a pause and enjoy the day. Before you know it, it's nighttime. 

And although you have accomplished a lot, it still feels like you could have done more. How do you deal with this nagging feeling of falling behind everyone? 

Trust the timing of your life. 

Things will eventually happen. Allow life to unfold before you. When you slow down and simplify the situation, you will begin to cultivate in you a sense of contentment. You will be able to see that you are just where you need to be. 

How To Measure Success In Life

Why do you have that fear of being left out? You might be thinking of the things that you are not doing right. Maybe you are focused on the wrong things. Perhaps you've wanted the wrong things in the past. Maybe what seems natural for other people to get is not something meant for you. 

The comparison you make about your life, and that of others does not have anything to do with what you currently have. It is more like a feeling. Life feels meaningless when you have tried so hard and yet failed to achieve what others have. 

Maybe you are unhappy. Maybe you are not content with the life you have right now. Your instincts told you that the reason for your unhappiness and discontent was that you want what others have.

But you should know better. 

At this point, you should rethink how you should measure advancement and progress in life. Life isn't just about material things or material achievement. So how do you measure success in life? Look into what matters to you and ask yourself the following questions to see where you stand.

How fulfilled do you feel? 

This may all boil down to the kind of impact that you make on other people. If you want to realize self-worth, look into how your actions and choices affect the lives of those around you. If you choose to look at the positive side of things, how does this attitude help inspire others to do the same?

How content do you feel today?

How do you define contentment in life? If it means creating a life with freedom, creativity, ease, and confidence, you should feel a bit content. These attributes do not have anything to do with what you have or whether or not you have "made it" in this lifetime. 

How do you deal with others?

The quality of the relationship you build with the people around you is what truly matters. You don't need a significant number of friends. You only need to keep the ones you can truly be honest with. 

How healthy are you?

This is not just about your physical health. You have to consider looking into the holistic aspect of your being. Are you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually healthy?

How focused are you?

The amount of focus you have dedicated to accomplishing your work should be the measure of your success. After all, if you are not growing, then you may as well be dying. How long have you been stagnant? If it feels like nothing is happening in your life, then maybe you need to learn something new. 

How To Refocus Yourself And Your Attitude

Do you feel like you are behind in life? Here are five things to help you refocus your attitude and get yourself back on track:

Keep yourself from comparing

Comparing yourself to others is the biggest reason you feel that you have achieved "less in life." If you weren't so busy comparing your life to others, you would probably feel good about yourself, or at least be further in life because you aren't wasting time focusing on someone else.

Be gentle with your self-criticism

Sometimes, it can be hard to watch other people achieve the dreams you have had for yourself. They didn't just get lucky. You had other things to focus on. Please don't spend too much time watching other people grow themselves.

Instead, focus on yourself. Forgive yourself for feeling jealous about what others have achieved. Be happy for their success as much as you should be satisfied with yours. 

Focus on what you have today 

Another common reason that makes you feel like you are falling behind in life is that you are too focused on the future. You have envisioned yourself to be this and that, but you regret to see the value of what you have today. 

Remember, the future may or may not come, but the present is already here. Focus your time and attention on what you have today. 

Appreciate what the "now" is trying to teach you

Practicing mindfulness can help improve your mindset, not to mention the positive effect it has on your actions today and in the future. 

Put the attitude of gratitude in practice 

A straightforward way of realizing that you have more than what you need is to put into practice the attitude of gratitude. Before you get caught up thinking that others have a good life compared to yours, allow yourself to feel blessed. 

When you are grateful for what you have, you make your days a little brighter and your life a whole lot better. 

Practice the art of self-love

Begin the practice of writing your gratitude list. Every day, write ten things that you feel most thankful for. You'll be surprised how much more you want to add to that list.