Originally published July 5 2014
Top 10 signs that you haven't adjusted to life outside the womb
by Mike Bundrant
(NaturalNews) Life outside the womb is pretty good, but it doesn't come with certain benefits that - let's face it - we all miss.
For example, outside the womb we aren't hooked to a magical tube that instantly satisfies our every physical need before we even feel the lack. And there is no warm, everlastingly protective cushion that surrounds us 24/7.
Beyond that, there are other people out here! And traffic sucks.
Still, here we are. Mature people learn to adjust to reality, but there's no guarantee that these all important adjustments will occur all by themselves.
How's it going for you?
To help out, here are 10 signs that you need to adjust to life on the outside
1. When you are told no, you pitch a fit
Some people can't hear the word 'no' without reacting like you just cut off their arm.
Imagine....you don't always get exactly what you want.
This has been part of your experience since the moment you left the womb. It's as if you came out of that warm cocoon and immediately screamed, "Hey! Put me back! Who do you people think you are? I'm cold!"
Decades later, you're still trying to get back to that place where all of your wants and needs are immediately and magically provided - with no sacrifice required.
If this applies to you, then here is an affirmation for you:
I am not in my mother's womb. And I do not need to be. When I don't get what I want, I am still OK. In fact, it is good for me to make sacrifices at times. In some cases, I may have to delay gratification for years, or perhaps for the rest of my life. That's ok. I can still be happy. In fact, I'll be MUCH happier knowing I can do without.
2. When someone disagrees, you become a self-righteous, pontificating prophet
Not everyone shares your opinion. In some cases, others are smarter or more informed than you. Yet, sometimes when people clearly are wrong, they will still disagree with you and never even give you a chance to enlighten them. This is the reality.
If you're a spoiled brat, other people disagreeing with you gets under your skin and festers like a thousand fire ants. You get cranky. You're beside yourself. You can't let it go because - well - how dare they disagree with you, especially when they are so obviously ignorant? In fact, the mere act of disagreeing with you shows their ignorance, does it not?
And these thoughts lead you straight into prophecy about how righteous you truly are. How can you be wrong?
If this is you, then try this affirmation:
I am a person with an opinion. Others are people with opinions. At times my opinion is the most accurate. At times, I am wrong. And sometimes I am both right and wrong at the same time. When others don't share my opinion, I am fine with that because I can still learn something. In fact, it is when I believe that others are most wrong that I have the greatest opportunity to gain new knowledge. And it is when I know I am most right that I am the most ignorant.
3. You act like you're being robbed at gunpoint when you have to go out of your way
Most of us are going through life focusing on our agenda and trying to minimize obstacles and detours. This is normal. Yet, other people exist and they have needs. When you cannot assimilate this reality fluently into your plans, you'll get moody.
Because others and their needs are not going away.
In fact, if you wish people would just leave you alone, then you're going to be miserable. Others are key players in your happiness. And they are always going to ask you to do things like fold the laundry - right when you were planning on doing something more important.
Your affirmation:
Other people exist and they are very important to me. I find much of my happiness in their happiness. And I cannot live a full life without key people around me. Often, others need me to drop my agenda for a while and do things for them. This is not a problem. I can do it!
4. When you have to wait, you get ants in your pants
Life in the womb didn't really require waiting for much. Life outside the womb may require you to wait for a long time. In fact, you may die waiting for things that never happen.
This reality doesn't stop some of us for freaking out while standing in line for movie tickets. Why can't the line move faster? What's taking them so long to hand over a credit card?
If you hate waiting, here is your affirmation:
I realize that waiting is unavoidable and I am ok with that. Most of the time, there is no emergency. I have patience within me, so I will breathe deeply and enjoying taking my turn when it comes. I can find happiness in waiting because my turn is no more important than anyone else's turn.
5. When someone else makes a mistake, you crucify them
Of course people make mistakes, but that doesn't stop us from punishing them, right? When people make mistakes, you may think it is best to do the following:
1. Assume they intended to screw up just to make you miserable.
2. Assume that if you pile on criticism, they will see the light and never make a mistake again during their entire life - all because you reformed them with stinging verbal blows.
3. NEVER consider that you have made similar mistakes.
Or, consider the following affirmation:
When people make mistakes, regardless of their intention, they need my help. That help may be physical, emotional or spiritual, so I will discover what I can do for them and do it. This is the best way to solve the problems that mistakes cause. And solving problems is more important than pretending I am better than someone who merely made a mistake.
6. When you don't get your way, you blame Life for being so unfair
It really would be unfair to deny an infant access to mother's milk. After all, needing to wait for milk is a stretch for an infant, who isn't accustomed to waiting even a few moments for anything.
Some unfairness is unavoidable, and that is a lesson that many of us desperately need to learn. When it's your turn to swallow a dose of unfairness, it will not feel good.
Of course, you could magnify the unfairness in your life 1000 times just by assuming that whenever things break bad, life is singling you out. You can tell yourself how everybody else gets everything they want and that the present unfairness is a total and complete curse that God designed especially for you.
Your affirmation:
Life can be unfair, but when I think of all the ways in which I am blessed, the unfairness of life vanishes and I am left with gratitude. I will focus on what goes right in my life, while accepting what goes wrong with ease and grace. After all, I am an adult.
7. You'd rather fail than put forth effort
Failure happens, even when you work hard. Things just don't go as planned all that often. In fact, success requires incorporating what you learn from the inevitable failures along the way.
So, when you tell yourself that you are bound to fail, you are right. You'll fail and fail again. That's part of the overall process of success. Can you handle failing enough to allow the process of succeeding to work for you?
Or do you write yourself off as a failure from the get-go and use this as an excuse to watch another episode of Family Guy?
Here's your affirmation:
Failure is a necessary part of life. In fact, failure is so important that I promise myself to handle it well, learn from my mistakes and - most of all - keep going. I will deal with failure and stop using it as an excuse to do nothing, which is the ultimate failure.
8. When the going gets tough, it's time for a nap
Where do you go for safety and escape? How often do you go there? Yes, we all long for the complete protection of mommy's belly, more than we might care to admit.
So we substitute a couch and a nice, warm blanket. Basking in the glow of a giant flat screen, we escape into fantasy. It beats the dog-eat-dog reality that descends upon you when you set out to make something of yourself. Right?
Well, the real world has found you, and it is not going away. Even when hide from it, the world is actively making claims on your time and your bank account. There is no escape. And you shouldn't be looking for one. You should be charging out there, taking on the world and making something of yourself.
Here is an affirmation for you:
Life is full of challenges and I am up to the task. I won't always succeed, but will find peace in knowing that I put forth my best effort. Ultimately this will bring me the most success possible.
9. When someone outshines you, you sling mud
The Earth is filled with talented people. And some of them are more talented than you - even in your areas of accomplishment. If somehow this idea is unimaginable to you, then life will be a battle with jealousy and anxiety.
To combat the jealousy and anxiety, you may set out to prove that you are the undisputed best and that others don't measure up to your greatness. When others do something wonderful, you'll be quick to point out how non-wonderful it really is. You can't handle the competition.
Here is your affirmation:
Other people are talented. And their talents do not detract from my own talents, but support them. Recognizing talent in others enhances my character and earns me respect. Ultimately, I understand that insisting on my greatness makes me worried that someone else will be greater. But when I recognize greatness in others, I am truly great.
10. You're a one-way street
Bottom line: If you act like the world is an extension your mother's placenta, you'll run into problems. The world and the people in it do not exist solely to provide what you need, specifically when and how you need it.
Of course, you can get what you need. And you'll be most successful if you practice reciprocity. Reciprocity means that you do for others and allow others to do for you - in a mutually beneficial loop. When you practice reciprocity, you'll find yourself working hard to meet the needs of others and graciously accepting support from people who really care about you. It's nice.
Here's your affirmation:
I can practice reciprocity. I am mature enough to understand that others need and depend upon me as much as I need and depend upon them. I will practice reciprocity - not because it will get me more of what I want - but because others and I will be happier.
Of course, you can hold out and resist reality forever...
If you do, it will be an elegant (if self-deceptive) act of self-sabotage. You're creating problems where there shouldn't be any problems. And you should strive to end the self-inflicted misery. Watching this enlightening free video is a good place to start.
You see, both you and I need to understand that reality is not going away just because we showed up. We could keep banging our little heads against it and complaining of chronic headaches. Or we could accept that we need to adjust to life outside the womb.
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About the author:
Watch the free video The AHA! Process: An End to Self-Sabotage and discover the lost keys to personal transformation and emotional well-being that have been suppressed by mainstream mental health for decades.
The information in this video has been called the missing link in mental health and personal development. In a world full of shallow, quick-fix techniques, second rate psychology and pharmaceutical takeovers, real solutions have become nearly impossible to find. Click here to watch the presentation that will turn your world upside down.
Mike Bundrant is co-founder of the iNLP Center and host of Mental Health Exposed, a Natural News Radio program.
Follow Mike on Facebook for daily personal development tips.
Watch the free video The AHA! Process: An End to Self-Sabotage and discover the lost keys to personal transformation and emotional well-being that have been suppressed by mainstream mental health for decades.
The information in this video has been called the missing link in mental health and personal development. In a world full of shallow, quick-fix techniques, second rate psychology and pharmaceutical takeovers, real solutions have become nearly impossible to find. Click here to watch the presentation that will turn your world upside down.
Mike Bundrant is co-founder of the iNLP Center and host of Mental Health Exposed, a Natural News Radio program.
Follow Mike on Facebook for daily personal development tips.
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