To change the world around you, you must first change yourself. In order to do this, some sacrifices have to be made. You’ve got to face reality and understand what it is about you that is holding you back from living the life you’ve always dreamed of. It’s time to kiss your comfort zone goodbye and become the kind of person that gets what you think you deserve.

Here are the 10 habits you must let go of to help you love yourself and the world around you.

1o. Stop procrastinating on your goals

There are way too many people out there that dream of success and hope that one day it will just fall in their arms, completely out of the blue but then there are those who wake up every morning and do what they know is necessary to get closer and closer to their goals.

Action and change are often resisted when they’re needed most. This is not the time to be lazy because you should be disciplining yourself to dig deeper and work harder than you ever have before. What we don’t start today won’t be finished by tomorrow. Want to get ahead? Get started now and don’t ever lose your focus.

9. Stop blaming others and making excuses

You are not going to get anywhere in life if you keep pointing the finger at external influences by blaming others for all that’s going wrong for you. The last thing you should ever be doing is making excuses if you want to be successful.

Take responsibility for your own actions and figure out how to make yourself sole beneficiary of the situation. If you don’t feel in control then you just haven’t found the right way to do so. The only person who can ever force you to stop trying is you. Making excuses is the first step to failure.

8. Stop trying to avoid change

Yes, many of us are stubborn and we don’t like change in the life that we’re used to. Too bad change is necessary for you to feel more at peace and proud of yourself. When you dream about your future, does it feature the same life you are living right now? Didn’t think so.

Being too comfortable is one of the biggest mistakes you can ever make because the universe will always keep moving with or without you. And it moves faster when you decide not to change with it. Only when we change do we grow and begin to see exciting possibilities we never knew existed.

7. Stop trying to control the uncontrollable

You do know it is impossible to control everything and be superman right? We can’t make sure every outcome goes our way just like we can’t be 100 places at 1 time. There are some things you cannot change, uncontrollable aspects of your life that cannot be altered no matter how much you try.

For your own well being, accept these factors and avoid all the frustration and misery that would come with trying to change them. The best thing you can do is to let go of what you can’t control, and invest your energy in the things you can – like your attitude.

6. Stop talking down to yourself

You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and dwelling on the things that are not going your way. It won’t get you anywhere and the more you beat yourself up the harder it will be to handle what stands in front of you and your goals.

The way to overcome this habit is to develop a optimistic way of thinking and simply bat down the negativity anytime it might arise. Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re always right. Stop doubting yourself and get rid of the negative voices in your mind, it will never, ever help you.

5. Stop criticizing others

Don’t be the one always pointing out imperfections in others just because it  feeds your insecurity. When you feel comfortable with your own flaws, you will realize that criticizing others just won’t help you feel good about yourself anymore. Worry about how you can fix yourself and sooner or later you will. There is always going to be things that irk you about everyone else, anyway.

4. Stop running from your fears

Don’t ever be afraid to face your fears and problems. The more you run away and avoid what’s troubling you, the more intimidating and debilitating they will become. The best solution is to face them head on no matter how powerful they may seem.

Fears stop you from taking chances and moving forward in life.  Letting your fears and worries control you is not ‘living,’ it’s merely existing. Either you own your problems and fears, or they will ultimately own you.

3. Stop living in a different time and place

Some people waste their entire lives while trying to live in a different time and place. The past is the past so you must let it go no matter how much it hurts.

One of life’s sharpest paradoxes is that our brightest future hinges on our ability to pay attention to what we’re doing right now, today. Live in the present and enjoy the moment rather than always worrying what had happened or what could of happened.

Live for now. Notice the beauty unfolding around you.

2. Stop trying to be someone your not

A constant challenge we all face is the threat of conformity, the urge to be someone we are not just to seem more acceptable and easier to understand to the masses.

You are unique, your are special and you should embrace the fact that there is only one of you in this world. You have been given a gift, it’s time to share it rather than hide it from everyone. Don’t change to make people like you, because what good is it if you don’t like yourself in return?

1. Stop being unappreciative

Be thankful for what you have and appreciate all you have been blessed with. There are just too many people out there with far less than you who are still more grateful for the world they live in. If you express love for all that is presented to you on a daily basis it is guaranteed that you will receive the same thing.

Don’t always think about what’s missing, instead think about how much it would suck if all that you had was missing. This will make you want to take more of an advantage of everything that has been given to you over the course of your life.

Preston Waters | Elite.