For anyone who has ever lived in or visited a city like New York, San Francisco, or Chicago, there’s a particular sound you’ve no doubt heard: the car alarm.

It is an all-too-familiar mechanized wail complete with flashing lights and an utterly ear-splitting sound.

When that alarm goes off, do you stop to investigate what’s going on? Do you heed the warning?

The whole point of that migraine-inducing siren is to call attention to a vehicle because said vehicle may be getting stolen or burglarized.

But few people—very, very, very few— give those car alarms a moment’s notice, choosing instead to carry-on with whatever they were doing, be it watching TV, cooking dinner, or merely passing by on their way from Point A to Point B.

They don’t heed the warning.

And what’s truly frightening is this: “Alarm-overlook” goes beyond cars. You can apply this lack of attention to everything from personal finance to health.

People love to overlook the warning signs and instead wait for the actual arrival of calamity before taking action.

Playing deaf is dangerous behavior.

What Alarms are Sounding in Your Life?

There are all types of alarms—physical, relational, business, external, internal. Are any going off in your life?

How long have the alarms been sounding? If you no longer hear them, you’ve conveniently learned to ignore them.

As I said…that’s dangerous behavior. Alarms go off for a reason. And they typically require some action.

For example, if you’re experiencing chronic—albeit mild—discomfort in your stomach, don’t wait for there to be blood in your stool before going to the doctor. Make an appointment ASAP.

If you’ve only paid the minimum on your credit card balance for the last several months, don’t wait for the day you can’t make that minimum payment. Revisit your spending habits now.

If you think your spouse is cheating on you—you’ve noticed his shirts smell like perfume (but not your brand) or she has matchbooks from a hotel you’ve not visited together—it’s time for a conversation.

If your sales are declining, don’t continue with “business as normal.” Find out why your customers aren’t buying…or what they would like to purchase from you instead. Then create that product.

Warning Alarms Exist for a Reason

Warning signs and alarm bells exist for a reason—to grab your attention and inspire an action.

And some alarms are more able to get you to move…fast.

Consider what you do when the smoke detector rings in your home (and you aren’t burning a meal in the kitchen). You search the house for the cause even if it turns out to be a dead or dying battery in the detector.

What do you do when a tornado or bomb alarm goes off? You run for cover.

Yet, you might ignore equally as important alarms in your life. Stop doing that right now.

Stop Ignoring the Alarms

Ignoring an alarm or a warning sign doesn’t make an impending danger or threat go away. It might make it easier to get through life today, but it will make getting through life tomorrow significantly more challenging.

That’s why it’s essential to sit down at least once every six months and take inventory of all the warning signs and alarm bells in your life, be they physical, mental, or spiritual. Write them all down on a piece of paper, and put that piece of paper somewhere you’ll see it each and every day.

Consciously remind yourself each and every day of these warning signs. The reminder will help you address the issues promptly.

And take action. For each warning sign you identified, write down three things you can do to determine how important it is and how to address the problem it identifies.

Last, envision a positive outcome. If paying attention to the alarms in your life causes you to focus on potential negative outcomes—I could have colon cancer. I will end up divorced. I will never pay off my debt. My business is going to go under.—you will create those positive outcomes.

Instead, envision what you want—not what you don’t want—such as a clean bill of health; a fabulous relationship with someone you can trust; no debt; or rising sales. Focus on what you want helps you create these outcomes. Your positive focus will inspire you to take the necessary action to ensure you’ve addressed your alarms and so they stop ringing.

In the process, your life will improve—slowly at first, but the momentum quickly will build until it becomes a surging, unstoppable force carrying you to a better life laden with positive outcomes.

And you’ll here fewer, and fewer alarms.

Use the warning signs in all areas of your life as a conduit for success.

Have you been ignoring the alarms in your life? Tell me in a comment below.

Do you lack the confidence or courage to address the warning signs in your life? If so, please give me an hour of your time; I promise you will gain insight, tools, and strategies to help you heed the warning signs…and create the positive outcomes you desire. To do so, apply for a FREE high-performance strategy session application. Download and complete the application, and email it to me at nina@ninaamir.com. Learn more here. Sign up by February 1 for a 12-session Certified High Performance program and receive a FREE ticket to Brendon Burchard’s High Performance Academy in San Diego, CA, March 9-12, 2017 (value $997).