Every situation has a silver lining – discover a mindset that heals and enlightens.
November 23, 2021 · 7 min read
Never settle for anything less than what you deserve. It’s not pride, it’s self-respect. ~ Chanakya
See, we all want to squeeze the most out of our lives. We want to live as best as we can. That’s why we keep telling ourselves, “I will never settle for less than I deserve!”
Though, the reality is different. While deep down we want success and unleash our potential, we act completely differently in reality.
By behaving like that, we only sabotage our happiness. We are not happy in our workplace, relationships, personal growth, and we live in fears.
If you haven’t found happiness, don’t stop searching for it. The moment you become idle, it will mean that you settle for less than you deserve.
10 Signs you’re settling for less than you deserve
Here are a few signs that might indicate that you’re settling for less than you deserve:
- You feel unhappy.
- You’re afraid of unknown.
- You have self-limiting beliefs.
- You feel unworthy and devalue yourself.
- You feel anxious, stressed, depressed.
- You envy others.
- You feel like the world is against you.
- You overthink.
- You poorly live relationship and financial wise.
- You don’t improve yourself.
What does it mean to settle for less than you deserve?
When you give more than you receive, it means you’re settling for less than you deserve. This occurrence can happen in relationships, financials, happiness, and other life fields.
For example, if you’re working very hard for money but you believe you don’t get enough, you should never settle for that. Your time is the most valuable asset you have and every minute of it is extremely precious.
Know your worth and never settle for less. Don’t let other people to abuse you.
Why do you settle for less than you deserve?
You settle for less because your priorities don’t reflect what you really want. You prioritize security, comfort, and avoidance of fears. You are too afraid to experience the unknown.
What you really want is happiness, financial freedom, excellent relationships, and life satisfaction in general.
To be fair, we don’t deserve anything in the first place. The world isn’t obliged to give us anything. You’ve probably heard this a thousand times already, but I have to repeat this line…
Happiness is a choice and it only comes if you choose to have it. Just because you are a very kind and a nice person, you can’t expect someone to give your fair share of happiness which you deserve.
I would love to live in such place. Everyone would be way happier. Unfortunately, that’s not how the world works.
You have to grab your life firmly, squeeze it, and take whatever you need. That’s the only way to never settle for less than you deserve.
How not to settle for less
There are only a few differences between people who settle for less and not settle for less. These key elements are:
- Self-esteem.
- Perseverance.
- Confidence.
You need to set yourself free from all your worries and your mind barriers. If you don’t believe and trust yourself, you won’t be able to truly unleash your inner power.
Similarly, in moments of loss and despair you will need perseverance to keep going. It’s probably the number one characteristic which separate successful people from unsuccessful people.
15 Reasons To Never Settle For Less
1. You deserve to be happy
This reason is not coincidentally the number one on the list. Happiness is the most important thing you can have in life.
Poor self-esteem is linked to social and mental problems, such as depression, bulimia, anxiety, substance abuse, violence, and many others [1]. You will never be happy if you will face these problems.
Ten years from now, make sure you can say that you chose your life, you didn’t settle for it. ~ Mandy Hale
You need to improve your self-esteem if you want to free yourself from shackles of pain.
Happiness is an emotional state which makes you feel joyful, satisfied, fulfilled in life. Happiness, according to psychologist Shawn Achor, can also improve your productivity from 20 to 30 percent.
Happiness comes with a lot of hidden benefits that you can’t miss out.
2. You have to fulfill your dreams and goals
Settling for less means that you won’t fulfill your wildest goals and dreams. They’re especially important for your self-development.
Goals and dreams give your life a sense of purpose, direction and even a meaning. They affect your life decisions and have an impactful meaning on your future.
Not only that, but goals shape your behaviors. For example, if you have set a goal clearly, you’re more likely to achieve it [2].
Goals are extremely important for your well-being and life satisfaction.
3. You need to have the best life experiences
Never settle for less if you want to live life to its fullest. If you want to travel, be independent, experience something new, never settling definitely helps.
How many times have you thought of how your life would look like if you didn’t hold yourself back? Yes, probably you wouldn’t be able to count that number on your fingers.
Experiences can determine your life. Ultimately, they shape your life and your character. If you want the best version of yourself, you need to live life to its fullest.
4. You must unleash your inner power
Inner power is your force which gives you strength to act with determination and help you tackle with any obstacle in life.
Inner power can be only unleashed by getting rid of your limiting beliefs. They make you miss out on things you would love to do, but you simply believe you can’t.
Oppositely, empowering beliefs can make you unleash your inner power and you can become the best version of yourself.
The sooner you identify your limiting beliefs and challenge them, the faster you will free yourself from fears and enjoy the life.
5. You can become successful like anyone else
Settling for less will never make you a successful person. On the other hand, if only your standards go a bit higher, you can become successful like any other person.
The truth is success doesn’t come as easy. You need perseverance and passion.
Never settle for second when first is available. ~ Lou Holtz
All in all, you have to think like successful people. They don’t get trapped in a victim mindset. They simply take whatever they believe belongs to them.
If you’re willing to unleash your creativity and step outside your comfort zone, you will definitely succeed. All you have to do is start and take action.
6. Feel alive
Never settling for less means you know what it’s like to feel alive.
If you rarely ever feel excitement or fight for what you are worthy for, you will feel empty and dull.
On the other hand, feeling alive implies bringing enjoyment to your life and experiencing something new.
You have to turn off the autopilot which you are currently living on and start looking at daily activities from a different point of view.
Change a thing here and there. Try volunteering. Make a random act of kindness.
Life is a gift and you should use it to feel alive rather than to exist.
7. You deserve idyllic relationships
If you believe that you’re okay with the relationship you’ve got right now, think once again. Settling in relationships is okay, but settling in a relationship that you don’t really like is not fine at all.
You can only settle in a relationship if you feel completely comfortable and happy with what you’ve got. If you constantly feel as if there’s something out better, you shouldn’t remain in the same place (or you can work on your relationship).
There is always someone out there who will put you first. Don’t settle for someone who will put you next. ~ Tony Payne
Remember that you will have to live for the rest of your life with the same person. Therefore, settle in a relationship only if you feel satisfied and fulfilled. Otherwise, you’ll leave your relationship eventually or live an unhappy life for the rest of your life.
8. No regrets
The worst thing that can happen in your life, especially when you get old, is having a life full of regrets. It is known that people have past regrets [3].
For example, a common regret is trying to live by others’ standards than living by your true self.
People that look back in their lives have regretful memories for holding themselves back in life. On the other hand, there are people that have done everything they’ve wanted in their lives. They have no regrets.
Take a look at this refreshening video, where 100-year-olds give life lessons:
9. The best time to act is now
Fine, the best time to act was yesterday, but the best time to act is now. You get the idea.
While you might believe that by thinking a lot you’re doing something good, you actually don’t.
Life is not so much what you accomplish as what you overcome. ~ Robin Roberts
What matters is the action. If you settle for less, you will drown in your thoughts. Only an act can make the difference in your life. The sooner you get your hands on it, the better.
You are losing precious time with every minute of overthinking. Don’t hesitate and do whatever you always wanted to.
10. Eye opening experiences broadens your mind
See, experiencing eye opening events can make you have completely different perspective on life. What you thought was truth once, now it becomes a lie.
Eye opening experiences are shocking occurrences that teaches you new insights about life. You can either experience it yourself or be an observer.
If you travel the world, you can see what a huge gap there is just by travelling 1000 miles further from initial place. The inequality between people is big, but it’s a part of our lives and having an understanding about it broadens your mind and changes the way you think.
11. Live for yourself and not for others
Living for others is another common regret that people experience later in life.
Ultimately, you settle for less and compromise your life by spending too much time trying to please others. In most cases, people please others because they believe that only then they will feel fulfilled and respected.
If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one. ~ Dolly Parton
If you are wondering whether living for yourself is selfish, the answer is it isn’t. Sure, if you have children, you have to take care of them. That’s your obligation.
Nonetheless, you don’t have to live for other people. You shouldn’t settle just to please others.
It’s important to have a distinguished line between ‘kindness’ and ‘living for others’. Don’t sacrifice your happiness and live your life wisely.
12. Learn more about yourself
Another reason why you should never settle for less is because you will learn a lot about yourself.
Going through hard and happy times will make you to establish a whole different emotional bond with yourself. It might sound strange, but it’s true.
For example, you will start valuing yourself more, you will not put yourself down in front of others.
You will have an ability to navigate in world a lot easier if you know exactly who you are and what you want.
13. Cultivate a positive environment
Again, settling in relationships too early can result in unhappiness. You have to get to know people well before calling them friends or a life partner.
If you will feel insecure, you will either push all people away or try to befriend with everyone. Both cases are not optimal.
Don't give it five minutes if you're not going to give it five years. ~ Meghan Markle
You can only settle in relationships that are positive and supportive. Take your time and pick people only that are worthy. Remember: quality over quantity.
14. Not being like everyone else
Never settling for less sets you apart from others. The most successful people, whether that would be in business or relationship fields, constantly worked hard to achieve their dreams. Now they’re well known and respected people.
Obviously, you don’t have to be well known to be considered a successful person. Every person defines his success independently.
Regardless, perseverance is an ingredient for accomplishments and never settling for less.
15. Feeling of freedom
Never settle for less if you want to feel a sense of freedom. It doesn’t matter in what area of life you are seeking for freedom.
Working consistently and having a good plan will improve the probability of your independence. Freedom leads to an abundant life full of beautiful experiences that you deserve.
You will not feel restricted and will be able to express yourself however you want. Ultimately, your quality of life will improve dramatically.
Final Words From Delightful Mindset
Remember that if you feel not happy with your life, feel restricted in one or another way, it means you’ve settled for less than you deserve.
If you’re currently not happy with your life, you need to do only one single thing – start. The more you overthink, the more boundaries you set in your mind.
Don’t be frightened – your happy life is on the other side of limiting-beliefs. Once you get over them, you will unleash your inner strength to achieve anything you want.
- Michal (Michelle) Mann, Clemens M. H. Hosman, Herman P. Schaalma, Nanne K. de Vries, Self-esteem in a broad-spectrum approach for mental health promotion, Health Education Research, Volume 19, Issue 4, August 2004, Pages 357–372, https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyg041
- Cairns, A.J., Kavanagh, D.J., Dark, F. et al.Goal setting improves retention in youth mental health: a cross-sectional analysis. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 13, 31 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-019-0288-x
- Papé, L., Martinez, L.F. Past and future regret and missed opportunities: an experimental approach on separate evaluation and different time frames. Refl. Crít.30, 20 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41155-017-0074-8