Number 1 is really important.

1.  We view setbacks and growing pains as failures.

When we actively pursue happiness, anything that makes us feel unhappy can seem like a failure – such as a simple setback or challenging moment – when in reality these things are unavoidable, normal parts of personal growth.  Sometimes it’s just easier to feel depressed and trapped by these experiences and let them get the best of us.

Think about a time in your life when you faced a challenge.  Maybe you lost your job, were betrayed by a friend, or got rejected by a loved one.  How did you respond to this?  Did you feel like a victim, or did you embrace it as an opportunity to grow as a person and learn something valuable?

If you’re like most people (including myself), you probably struggled to have a positive attitude at the time, and the situation was probably incredibly hard to deal with.

And the truth is, challenges are never easy.

However, setbacks and challenging moments in life are also opportunities in disguise for something bigger and better.  If we can learn to appreciate and embrace them equally to the moments that make us feel happy, we can more easily see the light in our darkest moments, push through these difficult times and make the most of every opportunity to heal and grow.

5. We give up amazing opportunities that require temporary discomfort.

Think about a time in your life when you went through a tough but rewarding experience.

Perhaps you took on a challenging project.  Do you remember feeling a great sense of anxiety telling you that you would fail, but you didn’t?

And as a result, not only did you achieve something amazing, you also opened up an array of new opportunities for yourself, became a little bit wiser, and gained a greater sense of self-confidence.

Well, it just shows us that if we want to discover new and interesting opportunities in life, it’s not possible to feel happy every moment along the way.  A little discomfort is necessary medicine.  As they say, opportunity is missed by most people simply because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like hard work.  Don’t be one of these people.  (Read The Last Lecture.)

The Last Lecture:

I do think these 7 crazy mistakes are things that can be avoided with a Growth Mindset.