Whew! Sayonara, 2011! We made it, some better than others. I'm pretty sure I'm leaving 2011 with barely a shred of energy. In some years past, I could've said that I could've done more, could've been more pleasant, could've cared more, could've this and could've that. But not 2011. Oh no, this puppy got my all. And boy, have I got the undereye luggage and dragging gait to prove it! However, I couldn't have asked for a better learning experience than the past 8 or so months. Did I murmur a bit? You betcha. I'm still working toward being that girl who is grateful for everything in the moment. I eventually get there. Like now. I'm grateful for all that has happened within my life the past year. But in a lot of instances, at the time I could've cut a face. There were times when I bawled and bawled in my little 13x13 bedroom, wondering when it would end and begging for mercy instead of being grateful for the experience. Honestly though, I couldn't have asked for better opportunities to love better, communicate better, work harder, and grow faster. I feel closer to my family than I ever have, and that includes my cute sister in law. When she and my brother were married two years ago, I cried tears of grief. Seriously. Immature? Yes. But I always wanted a sister and I saw an opportunity in my brother's marriage, since my mom had adamantly said "NO!" too many times to count when I would ask for one. And so, when we didn't get along right away, I thought it would never happen. Also, the tears could've been because I was sick with the H1N1/Swine Flu and was bedridden for six days following the wedding. Again, seriously. My body has a knack for ruining special events. But, I digress. Now, two or so years later, I love that girl. She is awesome. We've had our issues and sometimes still do, but I couldn't have asked for a better person to be by my brothers side while going through all this. They are peaches and cream. I'm excited for our relationship to grow even more and see what comes in the future.
Naturally, since we are leaving 2011 and entering a new year, it is a time for reflection and goal setting/planning. I don't believe in resolutions. It is absurd to think that one can undo so many years of habit-making and learned behavior simply by thinking you'll "do it this year..finally!" through a resolution. Instead, I think we should focus on changing things a little at a time. I saw a link for the words below earlier today, and thought it fit in perfectly with what I was thinking. Although I lived through somewhat of an emotional bootcamp this year with my dad's illness, a relationship ending, holding down two jobs and full time school, a flood, health scares, and beyond, there are still many things I can work on. And many things I can celebrate that I no longer do. Things like not believing in myself. I used to like to think that I knew I would step up to the plate when needed, but there was always a little seed of doubt in the back of my noggin' saying "maybe not..". But now I can say with a surety that I can, and will, step up to the plate. Sometimes you need to toot your own horn a little bit...so "TOOT TOOT"! In all seriousness though, I'm excited to say that my confidence has come back somewhat, and I'm thrilled. Somewhere along the way I lost it. Luckily, I put up posters and she has come back. Hardy har har.
So, my lovely friends and sometimes random readers (someone in Myanmar read my blog...I know no one in Myanmar. But that's amazing. Cue Kip in Napoleon Dynamite singing "I love Technology..."), I invite you to read the post inserted below and work on anything that you may be guilty of. Don't be a downer daisy when you can't do all of them at once. This is something to work on gradually to help us love ourselves more and make 2012 an amazing year!
<3 C
30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself
Article written by Marc at Marcandangel.com
When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you.
As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Nothing could be closer to the truth. But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot. Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth. And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on. No, it won’t be easy. There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them. We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems. That’s not how we’re made. In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall. Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time. This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself. Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves. Read The Road Less Traveled .
4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too. Yes, help others; but help yourself too. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you likeeveryone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you. Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing. Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success. You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us. We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive. But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either. You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else. Read Stumbling on Happiness .
11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place. Evaluate situations and take decisive action. You cannot change what you refuse to confront. Making progress involves risk. Period! You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely. It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company. There’s no need to rush. If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you. But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others doing better than you. Concentrate on beating your own records every day. Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own. Ask yourself this: “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you. You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough. But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past. You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation. So smile! Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate. Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.” Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself! And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too. If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway. Just do what you know in your heart is right.
21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things. The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done. Read Getting Things Done .
24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile. Don’t take the easy way out. Do something extraordinary.
25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while. You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well. You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears. The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out. But making one person smile CAN change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world. So narrow your focus.
28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy. One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time? Three years? Five years?” If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen. Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story. If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.
CREDIT: Full article written by Marc at Marcandangel.com HERE
Photo by Rob Brucker
