Helpful life hacks are everywhere — but are they really helpful?

The danger of the “hack mentality” is that it promises quick success without the investment of time and effort. But real success is rarely easy and rarely happens overnight.

So what’s the secret to making progress on the road to success, even when the way gets tough and you’re tempted to abandon your efforts? Instead of chasing shortcuts and hacks, focus on these three mindset shifts.

Do you consider yourself to be a bit of a misfit?  If you answered yes, there have likely been countless times when you felt isolated, alone, and disconnected from other people. You may have found yourself thinking life would be so much easier and simpler if you could just be like all the folks around you.  

Not fitting in with everyone else can be challenging at times, but there's another side to it.  Misfits possess all kinds of unique and valuable traits.
 
Here are five great qualities to be found among the misfits of our world.  As you review each quality, think about how it shows up in your own life and shapes who you are.

You're constantly making choices as you live your life each day.  You choose what to focus on and how to spend your time.  You choose who to spend time with and which relationships to invest in.  You choose your thoughts and responses to all the different situations and circumstances that come your way. 

Over time, the choices you engage in repeatedly become habits.  And those habits matter; they influence the trajectory of your life.


Habits Influence the Trajectory of Your Life
 
Your life reflects a collision of a multitude of factors.  Some of these factors can be anticipated and/or controlled; others are entirely beyond your control.