15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy
--by
Dana Saviuc, Original
Story
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
“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.
This article can be found
at:
http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=232
