The 22 Traps of Life

[Zerix]

I was just looking through my e-books and self-help material, and I recalled this amazing, phenomenal article that I believe everyone here NEEDS to read. I just re-read it, and boy does it strike a chord inside. Long read, well worth it! ENJOY

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Traps of Life

Trap # 1: The Trap of Tomorrow

Tomorrow. Tomorrow can be feared, or desired. Tomorrow could be anything. Tomorrow could be nothing. This unpredictability of tomorrow is why we must live in the present. You could die today. You could die tomorrow. Wasting your time thinking about tomorrow is a terrible idea. Fearing tomorrow is just as bad as wanting tomorrow. Whatever tomorrow has in store for you will happen. Tomorrow will come soon enough. In fact, tomorrow will come too soon. Screw tomorrow. Live for today. Tomorrow will come whether you like it or not, so stop worrying about it. It’s pointless. Living for tomorrow is a veil that can blind anyone; be strong, don’t be blinded by it.
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Trap #2: The Trap of Yesterday

Yesterday. Was yesterday good or bad? Why do you even care? Are you ever going to feel what you felt yesterday again? Probably. BUT are you going to be in that EXACT situation ever again? Hell no. Yesterday is over. Whatever happened yesterday is done and over with, and is a part of you life forever. Live for today, yesterday could have been the best day of your life, it could have been the worst day of your life, it could even have been an average day. What difference does it make? It’s over no matter what. Live in the present no matter how terrible the present is. Don’t forget about those great memories of yesterday, they are all you have. But don’t dwell on them. Look to the past only when you want to remember an old friend, or an old place, or an old feeling, or an old situation. Remembering a great feeling every now and then is completely different than living in that feeling, or trying to make that feeling last longer than it was meant. Again, live for today. It’s all that matters.
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Trap #3: The Trap of the Closed Door

There are millions upon millions of chances, choices, and opportunities we as humans have. It is impossible to take advantage of every one. Most of the time we don’t even see a hundredth of them. When one door in your life closes, always remember there are a million more open ones. Always remember that there are still millions of doors that are always open in your life. Focusing on that one closed door will waste your time on this planet. Every thought you spend on that closed door will bring you closer to the end of your life. Look at the possibilities, not the impossibilities. Why worry about something that never was meant to be? Something that never could be? Never forget that closed door, it will make a nice memory, but do not focus all of your attention to it. It’s pointless, don’t let this trap in life hold you back.
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Trap #4: The Trap of Change

Think about how your day went. Now compare that to yesterday. How were the two days different. It is likely they aren’t different hardly at all. This is because we as humans get into the classic routine thing. Well this is unavoidable. It is impossible to get a new job every day and it is impossible to do something new everyday. But what happens when we get into those routines, is we end up fearing change. We actually go out of our way to avoid change. Change is the spice of life. Change makes our lives exciting. Do not fear change. You should seek change in your life, not avoid it. I believe we fear change because once we are “happy” and once we have a “purpose” we are afraid of losing it. Can anybody say lack of risk? Live it up baby!!! Change is coming. You are changing everyday. Right now you're changing as you read my words. I am changing you right now. Don’t be afraid of change!!! Change is good. Change will make your life fun and exciting. Do you not want a fun and exciting life?
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Trap #5: The Trap of Giving up on Love

Love makes the world go round. We have all had disastrous love experiences. By letting that pain you felt during that hard time will only make your life less of an adventure. If you keep trying, you will find a person who you love, and who you would die for, and a person who would die for you, and who loves you. Keep looking, Keep loving, keep searching. You’ll find her. Do not let the pain of the yesterday hold you back today. NEVER give up on love. Love is why your alive today. Your parents probably loved each other at some time if they do not love each other today. Think about it. Someone has loved you, return that love to the world. Hate will only drag you down and destroy your life. This is why I discourage the “jerk” approach to women. To Love is to live. So keep on living.
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Trap #6: The Trap of not Fighting

Ever want to give up? Of course. We all want to give up. We all want the easy way out. If you give up every time you will fail to live your life to its fullest. Keep fighting through it. You’ll get out. I promise you’ll get out. Whether it is by death or with life, you will get out. You must keep trying to achieve what you want. If you give up now, all the time you spent yesterday will have been in vain, and tomorrow will be forever changed. Keep fighting through the toughest times of your life, they will pass. Keep going!!!
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Trap #7: The Trap of Fighting

This is contradictory to the trap above. What you must understand is that you must achieve equilibrium between fighting and not fighting. You must know when you have been defeated. If you fight for something you will never achieve then all the time you spent will be spent in vain. Fight for the possible, not for the impossible. You must know when to throw in the towel, and when you do, hold your chin high and have pride because you did one of the hardest things to do, admit defeat. We all lose in life. We also win every now and then too. The key is to treat every loss as a victory, because for every loss you encounter, you will leave the situation with more experience. Is that not a victory? It’s always win win. You have to learn to stop fighting for the impossible and to spend that time doing something else, rather than wasting your time for something you will never achieve.
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Trap #8: The Trap of Dreams

Dreams are wonderful. Everyone has dreams. Everyone has wished at some point in their life they were someone else, or could do something they can’t do. The power of dreams is a strong one. Chasing your dreams is an act very few of us do though. Most people live in their dreams. Most people are actually content with just dreaming something, and not living it. It you do not chase after your dreams, then your dreams are holding you back. The power of dreams is pretty strong huh? They can guide you through your life, or hold you from achieving anything. Chase your dreams. Go after what you dream about. Unless your dream is to walk and you have no legs, then don’t tell about me about how it could never be. If it never could be, then so be it, but how will you ever know for sure if you never try? At least try to follow your dreams, if you physically cannot achieve them, then at least you tried.
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Trap #9: The Trap of False Hope

Some things were never meant to be. It’s a fact of life. Some things you will never have, and never have a chance to get. You must accept this. If you keep living in your wonderland and if you keep thinking that it will happen when you know in your heart it never will, then there goes more time of your life wasted. Believing something that isn’t true may make you feel better, but it will only hurt you in the long run. Accept the truth for what it is. Stop giving yourself false hope.
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Trap #10: The Trap of the “Perfect” and “Normal” life

Think about what you want your life to be like. You probably want a house, a nice job, a beautiful wife, maybe a few kids. Who knows. Only you do. We all have these ideas of a perfect life. We all have ideas of how we want our lives to be. This “perfect” little “normal” life is an illusion. You can’t define normal. No one can. Normal is a word used to confuse people into believing something is right. You will never be normal. No one is “normal”. Every person is different and so how can you be normal in a world full of diversity? There is no perfect and normal life. Your life is what you make it. People also mistake the word boring for normal. Spice up your life. “Normal” people have no idea what in the hell they want. This is why they call themselves “normal”. They have been led to believe that what they are doing is the right thing, and that anything else would be “weird”. “Life is a journey, not a destination”--Aerosmith. There is no perfect life, there is no such thing as a normal life, and there is no such thing as the right thing. You and only you can decide these things for yourself.

[Zerix]

Trap #11: The Trap of that Perfect Girl

You have an idea of a perfect girl/ woman. We all do. There is no such thing as a perfect girl/woman. I’m getting tired of typing out girl/woman so now I’m going to type female instead. You must understand that there are so many wonderful females out there that there will be a ton of “perfect” ones. You must keep an open mind when searching for the one, or you will blind yourself of what you really want. That perfect female is just another person, but a person who you have literally forced yourself into loving because you believe you must love anyone who has long brown hair, a cute face, a nice body, etc. Keep an open mind while in the world of females. You’ll find the one, but quit forcing yourself to love.
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Trap #12: The Trap of Depression

Don’t even lie. You have been depressed in your life. We all have. We have all had our days. In fact there are many in this world who are depressed right now. Try to remember back to when you were depressed. You actually didn’t want to feel happy huh? You avoided having fun and you avoided smiling. You were trying not to be happy. If you do not make an effort to get out of depression then you never will. You must find it within yourself to love happiness and try to end those miserable feelings. Always fight depression. NEVER let it win. Fight it until you either defeat it or die. Do not give in. If you trust me on this, then you have nothing to worry about and you will feel better in no time at all. This is one of the most common traps.
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Trap #13: The Trap of Forgetting Nothing Lasts Forever

Nothing lasts forever. When you enter anything, you must remember that it won’t last forever. Accept this. Do not fear this either. If you do then it will be over and you won’t have spent any of the time you had well. Spend the time you are given well, because tomorrow will come and sometime in the future it will end. The only thing you can do is accept this. When it ends, give it up and move on. That’s all you can do. Good luck, this is a hard trap to avoid.
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Trap #14: The Trap of Fear

I don’t care who you are. I don’t care what you have done in your life. You have been scared. There is not one person one this planet who can truthfully say he has never been scared in his life. There is a nice quote I know. Here it is. “Courage is not a lack of fear, but is acting in spite of it”--Mark Twain. If you let your fears run your life, then your life will have been in vain. Face up to your fears. Look them in the eye and tell them you aren’t a coward. Never back down. You run your life, not your damn fears. Put your chin up and walk straight to your fear, look at it, and just do it. Do the thing that has scared you for your entire life. Just go for it. You are not a coward and you are in control of your own life. Fear is just another one of the many obstacles that stand in the way of living. Don’t let it defeat you.
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Trap #15: The Trap of Purpose

We all look for the answer. That is probably why you’re reading this, and it’s probably why I’m writing this. Most of the people on here are looking for a piece of writing or a few words that will change their life. You won’t find them. No one ever has and no one ever will. The answers are not here. The only thing that is here are tools and ideas that can help others find their own answers. You must do everything for yourself. Great things have been posted here and great things will continue to be posted here, but nothing here has forever changed a person’s life. Nothing posted here has given a person all the answers. Searching for all the answers is a lost cause. You won’t find them. There aren’t answers to every question. You have been given the gift of life. Quit wasting it by searching for a purpose and answers to all your questions.
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Trap #16: The Trap of Superiority

You aren’t the best. I’m not the best. Accept this. Accept the fact that you will never achieve perfection and that you are not the best and never will be. You do not run the world and you do not own it. You are a part of a whole. All of us are shaping your life. You live amongst us. We have thoughts, problems, and lifes just as complex and diverse as yours. Quit calling people gay, weird, stupid, or any other derogatory names. You are wasting your damn time. You are not the only person on this planet that matters. Deal with it. Quit living in your own little dream world where you and only you matter.
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Trap #17: The Trap of Wishing You Were Something

Remember when you were a kid? Everyone told you, “you can be anything you want to be.” Probably by now you have learned that this is a load of crap. Think about all the chumps in the world. They wish they could score with the women like we do. They would give anything for women to be hanging all over them. Do they magically turn into Don Juan’s? Hell no. This is because most of them can't accept a change, even if it's what they say they want. You can’t and won’t be everything you want to be. It is impossible. What is misinterpreted is that you have to WORK to achieve something, if you just sit around wishing things will change they never will. Life is about being in the right place in the right time. It is not about what cards you get, but instead how you play the cards you hold. We are all different, but we all have one thing in common. Our dreams of life and happiness will never be completely fulfilled. The only thing you can do is accept this dark and scary fact of life and approach it with a smile and a happy personality. That’s all you can do. Good luck accepting the fact that you will never achieve everything, it takes us all a while to do. If you want to get better at something, then you have to work for it, not "wish" you had it, or could do something. Get working, stop wishing!
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Trap #18: The Trap of Being “Mature” Instead of Having Fun

I see people do this all the time. You’ll know exactly what I’m talking about too. You know that person who always avoids having fun? Why do you think he does this? He in his little mind thinks he is being mature by not having fun. There is a fine line between maturity and having fun. Listen to the Webster definition of maturity. Mature: having completed natural growth and development. Where in the hell does it say anything about having fun? Stop using the excuse, “I’m too mature for that”. You are only making your life miserable. Have fun. Being mature and having fun are two entirely separate issues, but for some reason in our society today, people link the two of them. Don’t be another one of society’s f*ck ups.
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Trap #19: The Trap of Fearing to Get Close to a Person

You have probably been afraid of opening up to a person, as you have probably have met someone who is afraid of opening up to another person. Don’t be afraid. Get close to people. Don’t worry about the pain you might feel if something happens between you two. Get close, enjoy that time you spend close to each other. Sure if you stay away from people, you might never feel pain, but you also will never feel this little sensation called love.
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Trap #20: The Trap of Not Looking for Personnel Problems

Every person has flaws. They do not eliminate 100% of their flaws by the time they die either. It is impossible. The difference between Don Juans and everyone else is that we do not accept mediocrity. We look at ourselves and find everything we can possibly find wrong with ourselves and aim to fix it. We do this until we die. Most all of other people do not even believe they have problems. They believe they are fine the way they are, because they can accept a mediocre life. Thinking about living a mediocre life makes me sick, as it should most others. Accept your problems, but ALWAYS try to fix them. To become a Don Juan means to attempt to achieve perfection, even with the knowledge it cannot and will not be achieved. “When you reach for the stars, you may not quite get them, but you won't come up with a handful of mud either” --Leo Burnett
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Trap #21: The Trap of Lack of Risk

You have to take risks to enjoy your life. Without risk there is no fun. Without fun there is no reason for living. All the life wasted because of depression, suicide, and stupidity makes me sick. It makes me sick that I used be depressed, didn’t see my flaws and didn’t try to fix them, and finally that I didn’t take any risks. I don’t even see how I was so dumb. Take risks, live your life, and just freaking do it. When it comes to women, you literally have NOTHING to lose. Do you HAVE that woman you want to approach? HELL NO!!!! If she rejects you then you walk away with exactly what you had before. If she doesn’t reject you then great! You gained something. You see? You cannot lose something you never have had. Take that risk and do something exciting, you won’t regret it.

[Zerix]

Trap #22: The Trap of Why

Why? Why is one of the most complex words in our language. Without this question humans would have nothing to do. Looking for answers to the question why can keep us occupied, but I believe the question why is an illusion. It holds us back from our lives. Searching for answers is not the way to live your life. You should accept things the way they are. Live. Live your life!!! Stop looking for a purpose, stop looking for answers, and most importantly stop believing all those lies you have heard about what’s normal. Stop worrying, stop analyzing, stop all of your complicated thinking. Close your eyes for a minute and just stop thinking. Then I want you to take a deep breath, click the exit program button, and GO OUT AND LIVE YOUR LIFE!


There it is. The full masterpiece. Memorize it, and live IT.

[Ashley1990]

just one word...- Awesome...!!!!

[michaelgroves]

I was having a bad day but this sure puts things in perspective. Since I got here you guys have been helping me cope with sa

[jsgt]

Though I don't agree with all points, it was still a very encouraging article. Thanks for sharing.