(DISCLAIMER: This article is not mine. I just found this inspiring. Author Ty Bennett)
Here
is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot
easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a
great deal of pain, stress and suffering - and instead of letting them all go,
instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy - we cling on to
them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no
longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:
1.
Give up your need to always be right
There
are so many of us who can't stand the idea of being wrong - wanting to always
be right - even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great
deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It's just not worth it.
Whenever you feel the 'urgent' need to jump into a fight over who is right and
who is wrong, ask yourself this question: "Would I rather be right, or
would I rather be kind?" Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is
your ego really that big?
2.
Give up your need for control
Be
willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you
and around you - situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones,
coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street - just allow them to be.
Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much
better will that make you feel.
"By
letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But
when you try and try. The world is beyond winning." Lao Tzu
3.
Give up on blame
Give
up on your need to blame others for what you have or don't have, for what you
feel or don't feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking
responsibility for your life.
4.
Give up your self-defeating self-talk
Oh
my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted
and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don't believe everything that your mind
is telling you - especially if it's negative and self-defeating. You are better
than that.
"The
mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes
very destructive." Eckhart Tolle
5.
Give up your limiting beliefs
about
what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on,
you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the
wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!
"A
belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind"
Elly Roselle
6.
Give up complaining
Give
up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things -
people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can
make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow
it to. It's not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you
choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.
7.
Give up the luxury of criticism
Give
up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you.
We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all
want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want
something, and something is wished by us all.
8.
Give up your need to impress others
Stop
trying so hard to be something that you're not just to make others like you. It
doesn't work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that
you're not, the moment you take off all your masks, the moment you accept and
embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.
9.
Give up your resistance to change
Change
is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make
improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your
bliss, embrace change - don't resist it.
"Follow
your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only
walls" Joseph Campbell
10.
Give up labels
Stop
labeling those things, people or events that you don't understand as being
weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work
when open. "The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you
don't know anything about." Wayne Dyer
11.
Give up on your fears
Fear
is just an illusion, it doesn't exist - you created it. It's all in your mind.
Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.
"The
only thing we have to fear, is fear itself." Franklin D. Roosevelt
12.
Give up your excuses
Send
them packing and tell them they're fired. You no longer need them. A lot of
times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing
and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to
ourselves, using all kind of excuses - excuses that 99.9% of the time are not
even real.
13.
Give up the past
I
know, I know. It's hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the
present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into
consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will
ever have. The past you are now longing for - the past that you are now
dreaming about - was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding
yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a
journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare
yourself, but always be present in the now.
14.
Give up attachment
This
is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you
that it was for me too, (it still is) but it's not something impossible. You
get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself
from all things, (and that doesn't mean you give up your love for them -
because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another,
attachment comes from a place of fear, while love... well, real love is pure,
kind, and self less, where there is love there can't be fear, and because of
that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant,
so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to
understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.
15.
Give up living your life to other people's expectations
Way
too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their
lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives
according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends,
their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best
for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy
with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people's expectations, that
they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what
they want, what they need....and eventually they forget about themselves.
You have one life - this one right now - you must live it, own it, and
especially don't let other people's opinions distract you from your path.
