1. Irresponsibility - Nobody is perfect, obviously. I occasionally do dumb things and may not act responsibly 100% of the time, I think. That is not the kind of irresponsibility we are referring to. We all have our moments. There is a level of irresponsibility with people that is astonishing and is a direct link to why they are not living the American dream. Remember, we live in the best country on earth, in all of history actually, that offers everyone a perfect means to accomplish great heights, yet relatively few people do. It boils down to acting responsibly and making good decisions, preferably from as early in life as possible. Instead of booze, credit cards, attitude, instant gratification, and all of the other things people do to sabotage themselves, what if they chose reading, self-improvement, skills development, and exercise? How many of those types of people do you think aren't living the American dream? Not many.
2. Dependency - We will skip over the obvious forms of dependency and hit an area that is equally destructive. From very early on in life people are bombarded by people, media, government, and even family members with information and a thought process that leads to a person making decisions resulting in dependency on others. The worst abuser of this message is government. Like a drug dealer or pusher, the government is constantly developing and delivering new schemes to get you hooked. They want you hooked. You are their customer. They promise you healthcare, food, transportation, housing, childcare, retirement, and a million other items. As with any dependency, breaking free is not easy but you must make that your life's mission. Nothing kills self-worth and your chance at the American dream like being dependant on the government. Go cold turkey and save yourself from the misery of government dependency and the low grade services that go along with it.
3. Friends - Online, offline, or wherever, the company you keep has more to do with you becoming successful in life than anything else. It is true and an indisputable scientifically proven fact that who you associate with on a regular basis, at work or play, is enough to end any chance of you ever obtaining any measurable degree of success in life. The suggestive influences of the people around you affects your thinking, positively or negatively. Have you heard the saying, if you scratch with the turkeys, you will never fly with the eagles, and Birds of a feather, flock together, or like attracts like? Make better decisions about the people you associate with and break free from those who you know bring nothing useful to the party.
4. Objectivity - Being objective is the state of being unbiased and not influenced by emotions, opinion, or personal prejudices and beliefs. It involves seeing objects and ideas as they really are. A is A. Objectivity means you operate and subscribe to reason and logic and avoid operating on the emotional level of consciousness. This does not mean you shouldn't have emotions, but that you understand the circumstances when they do more harm than good. Being objective means developing your critical thinking skills. Look at the not so obvious of a problem or a message you are hearing. Don't operate under the misconception that the soundbites you hear on the news, from politicans, celebrities or from anyone else that this is good quality information. It's rarely objective information.
5. Goal Setting - Everyone has heard that you should write down and review your goals, but hardly anyone does. That is a big mistake. It is a big topic to cover thoroughly here, but in a nutshell, when you set and review goals your subconscious is working on them whether you are consciously thinking about them. As a result, your subconscious causes you to take the necessary action to obtain the objectives; including having the ideas and motivation to attain the goals you set. It is a truly remarkable process. Having goals in your head is not good enough and does not have the same effect. You must write them down and review them.
6. Distorted Thinking - This type of destructive thinking can manifest itself in many forms including disqualifying the positive, should statements, making assumptions, overgeneralization, personalization, jumping to conclusions, and others. Keep this in mind regarding distorted thinking. Your mind can only hold one thought at a time, positive or negative. It requires effort, but you must catch yourself when you are thinking negatively or incorrectly and instantly think of something positive, like a goal. Do some research on the net regarding distorted thinking. It is a fascinating topic.
7. Entitlement Mentality - As soon as someone is old enough to comprehend a message from any source, they will surely encounter the number one killer of the American dream, thinking you are entitled to it. People, organizations, and politicians will work very hard to instill their message that you deserve it. Deserve what? Whatever. They will convince you through emotional illogical messages that what belongs to others should belong to you too. Guess what? That is not true. Nobody owes you anything. You owe yourself. In life, never seek the unearned, something for nothing, or a free lunch. You are not entitled to anything, just the freedom to obtain what you want on your own and not at the expense of others.
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