At the start of the year I make resolutions, goals, intentions – whatever you want to call them. Many of them I hit on the head throughout the year and others are ones that I progress slowly on year after year (weight and finances).
I love reading other people’s resolutions. I find the posts motivating. But amongst the “I wills and I wont’s”, there isn’t a lot of internal reflection on having a healthier inner world. A healthy thought life is important when life becomes busy and we are bombarded with media in all shapes and forms.
After spectating many comments on blogs and reactions to different stories throughout last year, I‘ve come up with a list of things we can work on to try and not do or atleast do less of. These are attributes we do at one point or another in our life and they just need to stop. Anything that holds a negative vibe, takes root in our spirit and if we want to see our lives and businesses soar to great heights, we can’t be held down by bad roots. They hold us back from going higher to where we need to be.
Here are six things to do less of in 2016 to make it a great year in all aspects of our life.
1. Stop worrying. I’m a tragic worrier, so this one will be difficult for me to do. However, the older I get, the more I realize how burdensome worry can be and it gets me NOWHERE. As a Christian, I will be laying my burdens at the foot of the cross each day because my days are going to be busy yet again this year. If you are a chronic worrier why not pray about your worries, or write them down and then fold them away. Come back in a month to see if your worry is still valid.
2. Stop getting offended. Being offended is nearly as bad as litigation in Australia. We’re offended over everything. Hashtag Get over it. We are getting offended over the minute of details. Get offended by causes that matter. The best way to stop being offended is to understand the heart of where a statement has come from and the direction of its intent. We need to stop being offended for the sake of being offended.
3. Stop making assumptions. We make too many assumptions about people and the way they live. I remember once being told by a wise friend that you can never assume anything because it makes an ‘ass out of you and me’. I’ve never forgotten that and funnily enough when I assume something, I remember that quote. Most assumptions are incorrect. It takes wisdom to dig a little deeper and read/understand a statement in the right context.
4. Judgement. This one is hard to do because we do it all the time. It takes practice and some wisdom to get out of the habit of judging others.
Judgement on a third party basis needs to stop too. Everyone is on a journey to accept different situations and scenarios in the world. If someone posts something without completely thinking it through, be compassionate and don’t judge. Last year a blogger posted a photo with a caption that sparked outrage on social media. The blogger mistakenly misunderstood the need for a sharps box in their local library bathroom. Unfortunately the blogger was not only judged for being ‘narrow minded’ but also told an array of nasty names and accusations of hate. Be the better person and if you see someone posting something intending one thing, but they’ve either been misunderstood or don’t realise their mistake, be gracious to explain it to them. A person’s mistake is not your opportunity to spout hate. We all have baby brain moments on the internet.
5. Comparison. Stop comparing yourself to others. You can’t run a good race if your eyes are on the person next to you. Run your own race and be the competitor in your own life. Whenever I’ve compared myself to someone else, I don’t feel so great. I’m sure you feel the same? Instead of comparing, why not be inspired by those that do better? I’ve learned there will always be someone better than me (and that is ok) and there will always be someone not as good as me (and that is ok too). Look at rivals as life coaches, spurring you on to do better. And you can spurr on those behind you to keep going. We’re all in this together. We’ve all be called to do different things in life and so long as we are living (and doing) our purpose, who cares on the progress?
6. Envy. I sometimes find myself turning a shade of green if someone receives something I’ve been wanting. Envy eats at you and causew you to see that person in a different light. Especially when they receive something you want. Being envious of others limits your capacity and shrinks your vision. Be happy for others when they receive what you’ve been wanting. Just because they received their blessing sooner doesn’t mean you won’t receive yours. All of us need to be content living our own lives. There are more than enough blessings to go around, so be happy for those that are blessed and stir up anticipation of one day receiving that same blessing.
If all of us worked on one or two (or even all these areas), our lives and mindsets will flourish.
Which of these points will you work on this year? Can you add something to the list?
Wishing you all a very prosperous and Happy New Year.
Linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.
