By: Mark DeNicola
The new year is just around the corner and during these times we often begin thinking of ways we can adjust ourselves and our habits to grow and evolve in our lives. Whether you are the type to create resolutions, or you prefer to look back on the prior year and see how you can improve upon it, there are always things we can do to expand ourselves, and in many cases make our lives both easier and more fun.
Here is a list of 16 things that I personally feel we should all put an end to in 2016: (and yes I chose 16 things to specifically match the year 2016)
1. Running From Your Problems
You cannot run from something forever, and believe it or not, the longer you run from something the more difficult it becomes to face. Challenges arise for a reason, and as difficult as many of them can be to both face and overcome, doing so, gives you the opportunity to become a stronger and more capable version of yourself. There are also fewer things more liberating than the feeling of finally facing something that you had put off or had been afraid of for a long time.
2. Lying To Yourself & Others
Lying is, in my opinion, the most naturally cumulative process. What starts as a simple and small lie (possibly even with the intention of not hurting someone) quickly spirals into an entirely false reality where the biggest factor preventing you from sharing the truth is the unwanted reputation of being known as a liar. Moreover, we may lie to one another once in a while, but we lie to ourselves all the time, often to protect our oh-so fragile egos. We might even be inclined to lie to ourselves when reading this list, not wanting to admit how many of these traps we actually fall into. Remember that in the end, the past has helped to make you who you are but it does not define you; you always have the ability to make the transition to full honesty and you will probably be pleasantly surprised by how much lighter an honest existence can feel.
3. Letting The Fear Of Making A Mistake Stop You From Doing Something
Mistakes certainly can be a frustrating experience but never are they worth holding yourself back from doing something you feel pulled to do. We all know we learn from our mistakes but we need to also remember that we learn even more from stepping outside of our comfort zone and doing something different or new.
4. Comparing Yourself To Others
Whether it’s an iconic figure or even a friend or co-worker, many of us have a natural tendency to compare ourselves or our circumstance to that of another. Think of how many times you may have said, either vocally or under your breath, “must be nice” when looking at a facet of another person’s life. Just as the famous saying goes: “the grass will always seem greener on the other side.” Whether or not the grass actually is greener has no true bearing on the only grass we should be focused on — the one right below our feet. The moment we stop comparing and instead focus on our own experience is the moment we are most likely to both find peace in things being the way that they are, and motivation to change them should we feel the need to.
5. Living For Something In The Future
Whether it’s something as temporary as an upcoming vacation or as permanent as retirement, living for something in the future is great for one key thing: preventing us from living right now. One thing is for certain, in this life we are never going to be any younger than we are right now, so what time is better than right now? I’m not suggesting that we stop making all future plans, since they certainly can be useful, but that we instead focus on the present and allow the future to be what it will when the time for it comes.
6. Trying To Get People To Feel Sorry For You
Nobody likes a Negative Nancy or a Pessimistic Peter, yet so many of us regularly make a habit of sharing nothing but the unpleasant or unfavorable. As nice as it can feel at one level to receive sympathy from another person, we all know it does absolutely nothing to change the situation that we are complaining about. In fact it actually makes it a bigger part of your reality, since now you aren’t the only one to identify with it. Accept whatever it is that seems to be plaguing you and choose to move on from it rather than bask in the accompanying stories or emotions.
7. Trying To Re-live/ Make Up For Your Past
As I previously mentioned, your past does not define you, and that applies whether you look upon it favorably or as something you wish you could forget. As fun or torturous as reminiscing can be at times, in the end nothing truly matters outside of this moment. Rather than preoccupy yourself with a comparison to another point in time, why not try giving all of your energy and attention to the one that is right in front of you?
8. Putting Things Off For The Eternal Tomorrow
This one could alternatively be called ‘being lazy,’ and it more than likely is the one that plagues the largest percentage of us. Laziness is a lethal pandemic that has been stood up to before, but still manages to hold its ground a lot more often than we all probably would like. Remembering that there is no time like the present, opt to show laziness who is boss a little more often and you might be surprised at how contagious present action can be. You will undoubtedly be more productive and might just find yourself motivated to do a lot more than you ever thought imaginable.
9. Blaming Things Outside Of Yourself
Even though we all do genuinely find ourselves as the ‘victim’ to a person or circumstance from time to time, we usually (and inaccurately) point the blame elsewhere far more often. As much as this can be an effective tool for dodging difficulty with another person, it never works when trying to avoid difficulty within yourself. You will always know the true cause behind even the grandest lie and not living up to it will never be the easier path to travel. Own up to what you have caused or what is really holding you back and you might just find yourself a lot more in control of your own reality and even more comfortable in your own shoes.
10. Letting The Past Define How You Think Of Others
Your friend may have unnecessarily called you a jackass three years ago but that doesn’t mean that you need to see them as a jackass today. You should always use your own guidance to determine whether or not you want to surround yourself with certain people, but you shouldn’t let the past taint that guidance. As difficult or as emotionally charged as a lot of it may be, the past is simply baggage that should have no bearing on the present moment. Think of how much you have changed and grown throughout your life. Now consider how foolish it would be to assume that the same does not also apply to everyone around you.
11. Setting Expectations For Things Before They Happen
Let’s face it, the imagination loves to wander, and in most cases it wanders to create expectations far grander than even humanly possible. As fun as getting lost in la-la land can be at times, it also manages to do a pretty good job of making the present reality seem pretty blah by comparison. I’ve heard countless people tell me how the best things in life have always seemed to happen when they least expected it, so what better way to help create that than to simply stop expecting. Be in the moment and things will always seem that much more exciting (if for no other reason than you haven’t imagined them first).
12. Looking For Someone Perfect
Not only is our idea of perfect most likely heavily shaped by entertainment and popular media, but it is also ever-changing and therefore pretty well impossible to find. Rather than focusing on your search for that perfect someone to complete you, focus on what you need to do to feel complete within yourself. We are all capable of being and feeling complete love on our own, relationships are simply the extension of that love with another person. The shedding of the need for “perfection” will also make you a lot more open to connecting and sharing experiences with anyone that comes into your life, helping you to remember that love can often be found in the oddest places.
13. Trying To Be Someone That You Are Not
Whether it’s the impact of popular opinion once again, or simply the preference of someone you are trying to impress, we are never doing ourselves a favor when we try to become someone else. Even if the charade manages to work in getting you what you were going for, it only does so for a false version of yourself. Focusing on understanding and fully owning, with comfort, who you truly are will take you a lot further in life than anything artificially created.
14. Beating Yourself Up
As insulting as another person can be, there is no one capable of being more vicious to ourselves than, well… ourselves. Whether you let your high school crush get away, you dropped the game winning touchdown, or anything else along those same lines, nothing from the past needs to have any bearing on the present. Choosing to create this moment anew rather than weigh it down by things that are completely irrelevant to everything but your mind, can be a really freeing process.
15. Living Predominantly In The Digital World
We all love the digital world. How do I know this? To be reading this article right now, you are actively engaging in it. While the internet, our phones, tablets, and everything else that electronically exists are all wonderful tools, let’s make sure they don’t dominate our 2016. Let’s use them as we need to, but also be sure to incorporate an adequate portion of face to face interaction and nature-based activities into our regular life.
16. Just Reading & Not Doing
As amazing as books, quotes, and even articles such as this one can be to help remind us of what we already know, we must also begin putting these things into action. Allow these resources to become a starting point rather than a regularly needed reminder.
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