7 Everyday Distractions That Keep Us from Living Fully

Most of us desire to live a meaningful life.. We want to show up for the people we love. We want to invest in others. We want to spend our days on things that matter. And we want to leave the world better than we found it.

But too often, we find ourselves distracted.

Sometimes we get distracted by things we know are taking us down the wrong path, for sure. But not every distraction is so obvious. Some are more subtle.

The distraction seems harmless or small at first. Maybe it’s common in the lives of those around us. Maybe even it seems to promise us good. But over time, these distractions take up space in our lives—our days, thoughts, and energy—and slowly cause us to forget there’s another way to live.

I’ve put together a list of seven of these types of everyday distractions that can keep us from fully living. In and of themselves, they aren’t necessarily bad. Television can entertain and educate. Social media can connect us with friends and provide opportunity to influence others. Shopping can provide necessities. Money is needed to provide for our families.

But when these activities consume more of our lives than they enrich, they cease being tools and become weights instead—keeping us from meaning, significance, and joy. In other words, they keep us from living fully.

The first step to change is recognition.

1. Comparison

There’s nothing wrong with being inspired by others. I find inspiration in the example of others all the time. In many ways, it’s the very foundation of an article I published last week: If They Can Do It, So Can You.

But when we constantly compare our lives to others—or compare with the wrong attitude—we can lose touch with our own uniqueness.

And nowadays, social media makes it even harder. A place originally designed as a platform to connect with people has made it easy to believe we’re behind, inadequate, or missing out. And we end up chasing trends, envying vacations, and measuring our success against someone else’s picture-perfect highlight reel.

Be inspired by others, but don’t let comparison distract you from the life you were designed to live. You were never meant to live their life anyway—you were meant to live yours.

2. Worry

Worry is a thief. It steals our energy, our presence, and our attention.

But more than that, it steals our courage to act. And once we lose the courage to go after the life we want, we’ve already lost.

It’s important to note that our fear becoming a reality isn’t what kept us from fully living. Merely worrying about it kept us from acquiring it.

To make it worse, according to studies published in Psychology Today, “91 percent of worries were false alarms. And of the remaining 9 percent of worries that did come true, the outcome was better than expected about a third of the time. For about one in four participants, exactly zero of their worries materialized.”

Worry convinces us not to try. It distracts us from our potential. And if it’s keeping you from living your most meaningful life, it’s time to focus more on what could go right rather than being focused on what could go wrong.

And I wonder if all of us, in one way or another, need to be reminded of that today.

3. Negative Self-Talk

One of the most limiting forces in our lives isn’t necessarily what’s happening around us—it’s what we’re telling ourselves internally. Negative self-talk could probably be described as more of an obstacle to overcome than a distraction from living fully, but I thought I’d include it on this list anyway.

Too many of us choose to live smaller lives than we need to. Not because we lack the ability, but because we’ve convinced ourselves—for whatever reason—a meaningful, fulfilled life is not possible for us.

We say things like “I could never do that” or “I’m not the kind of person who…” And then, even worse, we believe it. We allow our presumptions (and sometimes our predispositions) to distract us from the life we could be living.

Now, that’s not to say these aren’t legitimate obstacles that need to be overcome in our lives. Changing how we view and talk to ourselves requires hard work. But the work you put in to overcome them is always worth it.

4. Overspending our Income

Today’s debt limits tomorrow’s freedom and tomorrow’s options.

It hurts us today, by weighing on us mentally and relationally now and it forces us to sacrifice some of our future. Debt, at its core, is spending tomorrow’s money today.

Most people don’t desire a life of debt, but it happens anyway. In fact, based on current statistics, 60% of Americans carry a credit card balance from one month to another.

There are times when this happens by no fault of their own (an unexpected medical issue or large expense, for example). But a large percentage of that 60% is because of unnecessary spending on things that aren’t needed.

We overspend for any number of unhealthy reasons: to fit in, to soothe, to keep up, to relieve stress, discontent, or sometimes just because we’re bored. But every unnecessary purchase is money we won’t have later—for dreams, for freedom, for generosity.

The more we tie ourselves to things we don’t need, the more we feel stuck. On the other hand, there is a wonderful luxury to be experienced in spending less.

5. The Pursuit of Money

There’s nothing wrong with earning money. But when the pursuit of wealth keeps us from more important pursuits, it becomes a distraction to a fulfilled life.

It is easy to think that earning more money is the pathway to better living, but that is not always the case. In fact, if it’s keeping us from wiser uses of our time and energy, earning more money may actually be the very thing keeping us from happiness.

This is not a message you’ll hear often. But it’s one we should all consider.

6. Watching Too Much Television

There’s nothing wrong with a good story, a favorite show, or taking time to rest. Video production is a form of art that can be appreciated, no doubt.

But when hours slip away every night, we have to ask—what are we trading away? Television is easy. It entertains, distracts, and fills the silence. Even more, it is a habit that feeds on itself, encouraging more and more shows to be watched and hours to be wasted.

But it rarely fills the soul. There are better things we could be doing. Reading, walking, learning, resting, talking, connecting. When we choose screens over life too often, we miss the chance to actually live it.

I encourage you today to not waste your life watching someone else live theirs.

7. Owning More Than You Need

The things we own can serve a purpose. But too often, they begin to take more than they give.

Extra possessions require care. They cost money, take up space, and chip away at our time and attention. Bit by bit, they begin to crowd our home and our freedom.

We spend weekends organizing, rearranging, and managing things we barely use. We buy storage containers, upgrade closets, and wonder why our homes still feel full.

But the real cost of clutter isn’t just square footage—it’s the opportunity cost. Every item we keep that we don’t need is one more distraction from the life we could be living.

When we own more than we need, we risk spending our days maintaining things, instead of making memories.

We have just one precious life to live with a limited number of days to love, contribute, and make a positive difference in the world.

The distractions on this list will always exist—in one form or another they always have. But you get to choose if they receive your attention.

Your most fulfilling life cannot be found anywhere on this list. It’s found through awareness of your values and intentionally aligning your resources around them. It requires us to say ‘no’ to distractions that don’t matter, so we can say ‘yes’ to the things that truly do.