You are your own worst enemy. Yes, you may claim you want to be happy, but you’re holding on to a whole lot of stuff that blocks a smile from reaching your face. Let go of these 15 things to get moving on with life.
1. The Shiny New Thing
There will always be a newer, better, more expensive version of everything you own. Does your cell phone, laptop, or video game console get the job done? If so, get over it and be happy with what you have. Life should be full of experiences (not things).
2. Ancient Artifacts
How many toys do your children actually play with? How much of your stuff do you actually use? If your answer is “not much,” then it’s time to cut the clutter. A clean home free from distractions will make you feel happy and satisfied with your surroundings.
3. Faux Friendships
Sure, you might have 2,000 friends on Facebook, but how many of them do you actually talk to? If you have any negative people cluttering up your feed, or acquaintances so unfamiliar they might as well be strangers, give them the boot with a quick unfriend.
4. Undialed Numbers
Take a half hour when you have nothing else to do and scroll through your contacts list. If a phone number hasn’t been dialed in the last year (and you don’t plan on calling again), delete it without a second thought. Remember: quality over quantity.
5. Neglected Attire
If the question “when is the last time I wore that?” results in a 30 second pause while you deliberate, it needs to go.
6. Excuses
While you’re making excuses, other people are hustling hard in the direction of their hopes and dreams. Stop making excuses and start finding solutions. There is no problem so difficult you can’t solve it.
7. Baggage
We all have a little baggage so don’t feel like you’re alone, but a lighter load will help you carry yourself forward with life. Carrying remnants of a relationship gone wrong into new love will put a damper on your new life, so it’s time to let it go.
8. The “Right” Time
There is no “right” or “perfect” time to do anything. The more you keep telling yourself you’re waiting for the “right time,” the harder it will be to take action, so get started now.
9. Insecurity
Your feelings of inadequacy will reflect in how you carry yourself. In other words? Being insecure in your words and actions will merely create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Look people in the eye, take their hand (firmly!), and speak to them with confidence.
10. Unresolved Conflicts
Is there a difficult conversation you’ve been putting off for a while now? Things held in have a way of intensifying, so it would be in your best interest to get it off your chest.
11. Thoughts About Your Ex
If you’re going to linger on thoughts of love lost, let your mind consider the positive experiences or lessons learned (not the past regrets you can’t do anything about). Whether you were in the right or wrong, holding on to negative thoughts about your ex will not magically make your life any better. Do you want to find another person who is a better match, who will make you feel happy and loved? Then you need to drop it and move on.
12. The Need to Be Right
What a person learns from being correct: Nothing. What a person learns from being wrong: A lot. Failure is a teacher who will drive its lesson home better than all of your college professors combined.
13. Fear of Trying New Things
Holding on to your fear of new experiences will shut a lot of doors. Challenge yourself to explore as many new opportunities as you can. Growth happens when we evolve (not when we’re stagnate).
14. 24/7 Human Companionship
By the time you go to work, school, and back home… do you spend any time by yourself (and no, the car drive doesn’t count)? Humans are usually fun to be around but everybody could use a breather to relax and be alone. Make time for yourself and drop your need for constant companionship. Become your own BFF.
15. The Belief That It’s All About You
NEWSFLASH: It is not all about you. Earth is a home for 7,023,000,000 (that’s 7.023 billion) people who face challenges and hardships just like you do. The next time a banker asks you for your ID and you start to complain because you’re a regular and they should recognize you, imagine how many people they see in a day (hint: you times a thousand). The next time you get mad because you’re stuck in traffic, let the fact that you’re not alone register (and if there’s a wreck, be glad you’re at the back of the line instead of in the mangled wreckage in front).
Do you see anything familiar that’s stopping you from moving on with life? If so, how are you going to fix it?
