Life is a survival game against jam-packed traps, pitfalls, and obstacles. Some people fall prey to these ordeals that are hard to foresee— edgy and unmotivated.
You are not vulnerable to these traps as well. In your life journey, you might encounter hidden traps without even knowing that you have already fallen into them. After all, there aren’t signposts that caution people, “Trap Ahead.”
No one was too ready for the trap life had in store. And perhaps, that’s the reason why a study from New Global Ipsos found that one in two people found themselves dissatisfied and unhappy with their life. They weren’t geared up to battle against the trap.
But yours could be a different story if you could be warned about the traps along with your life journey. It would probably be beneficial to know those you will encounter along the way before it comes to you.
You’re lucky to be reading this article.
After reading this, you will have a tremendous advantage over everyone else because you’ll know the traps you should avoid.
1. The Cheap Dopamine Trap
Humans evolve to fetch a dose of dopamine every time they achieve something incredible. And savvy programmers found a way to tap into these triggers, which is why everything is not getting gamified.
Technology reporter Jane Wakefield stated in her study that people consume a third of their waking time on mobile apps. You might haven’t noticed just yet, but maybe you’re just one lonely individual meant to combat the weaponization of modern technology.
The technology feeds people cheap dopamine each time they ask for it. Modern living now is based on likes, thumbs up, and follows. Don’t get trapped in this digital world. It’s not real.
2. Pride Trap
No one knows everything. It’s not a bad thing. However, instead of pridefully laughing that you don’t know something, you should actually address, learn, and improve yourself. Avoid shrugging off things you don’t know, and don’t perpetuate your stupidity.
Pride is the modern-day devil. If you are too proud and stiff to ask for help, you’ll end up nowhere. Many people give up long-term success to avoid being judged for their inferiority at the moment. But don’t let your mind play games with you. You can hit success in pursuing your goals, irrespective of what others think.
3. Being in a Hurry Trap
If you would stop for a moment, you will realize that everyone seems to be in a hurry. They were in a hurry to meet a deadline, pass a project, or deliver an order and were too busy telling other people that their whole week would be tight.
Being always in a hurry makes people forget there’s a thin line separating what’s urgent and essential. It becomes easy to forget the things that really matter when you get too caught up with business. Yet, the harsh truth of life is that the most successful people out there aren’t busy. They are productive!
No matter how busy you seem, if what you’re doing isn’t something that will benefit you, your mind, and your body— it’s not worth hassling for.
4. Prolonged Indecisiveness Trap
Every day, we are required to make one decision for another. Perhaps, even before leaving home in the morning, you have probably made as many as one hundred decisions— when to get up, what clothes, shoes, tie, bag, or coat to wear, what food to have for breakfast, and the list goes on.
With overwhelming decision-making that you need to do every day, you’ll waste a lot of time if you’re too slow to decide.
Indecisiveness can meddle negatively in your affairs by consuming your precious time. Come to think of it, without making any decisions in your career, you will be stuck from where you are, which can cost money and great opportunities.
People who fall into the indecisiveness trap often get hit by decision paralysis, freezing up without making anything at all. Make it your goal to have a mind that can make decisions without much hesitation to the extent that when you’re suddenly faced with crossroads, you immediately know what to take.
According to Hunter S. Thompson, “A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.” To put it simply, do allow yourself to be someone whose life is decided by just going with the flow or even by other people.
5. The Quick Fix Trap
No one wants to suffer for a long time, which is why people are always looking for immediate solutions to all their problems. However, there’s no such thing as a shortcut when it comes to fixing some issues. There will come a moment in your life when you realize that the best solution you can have is in between the time you’re trying to avoid.
You need consistency while focusing on growth to tackle the problems that come your way. Expose yourself to new ideas and wisdom to make progress.
6. Lifestyle Inflation Trap
The lifestyle inflation trap often hits when things are going well. This is because most people tend to change their lifestyles along with their earnings. However, this would only put you at a disadvantage, assuming that your lifestyle will increase each time your earnings also increase.
If you’ve seen famous artists who went broke, they probably fell into this trap. Their lifestyle began eating them out at the slightest hiccup of their earnings.
This trap lies in the status game where you want everyone in the room to know you’re successful and doing well, which takes us back to the pride trap. So, whenever you feel like giving your lifestyle a boost even though you’re doing just fine with the bare minimum, don’t listen to the voice inside you.
