We tend to become pretty intense about turning the page on a new year. We make resolutions, set SMART goals and vow that things will be different this time. While some people are certainly very successful with their efforts, others are left feeling tired and disappointed that they have failed “yet again.”
As an antidote to this madness, I want to suggest a different option for the new year; getting rid of some of the things that you may not even realize are holding you back or down. Now, I am not suggesting a decluttering program (although if you are feeling that you do you) but a careful consideration of some things you can STOP.
Here are a few examples:
- Unsubscribe from email lists that are no longer relevant or places that send you “special” offers and clutter your inbox EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
- Opt out of conversations that don’t come from a place of unity, respect, or love. Now, I am not saying we don’t need to have difficult conversations, but we don’t have to be forced into them, bullied or made to feel bad because we see things differently.
- Choose your absence with people that aren’t good for your health; mental, spiritual or physical. If you continually have interactions that make you feel like an outsider or “less,” consider whether or not this is a group you really want to continue on with.
- Let go of the weight of what “could have” or “should have” been. Accept where we are and do everything to find joy there. Yes, hard things are by their very definition, hard, but there is always something good in the world if you look for it.
I know in my own life I tend to hold onto things “just in case” or worry that if I say no to something I won’t ever get asked again. But the truth is, that’s just fear, and I don’t have to give into it. I can set some boundaries for my life so that when I do hit “subscribe,” decide to opt in, choose my presence or add something weighty to my life I do so with clear eyes and a full heart.
And that’s a New Year’s goal I can get on board with.