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 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 like everyone 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
30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself
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