Eight Things to Quit

In any given December you can hear people talk about the bad habits they’re going to quit as part of their New Year’s Resolutions. My biggest challenge with such statements is that the person is waiting for a specific day, as if they need the calendar’s permission for when to start. How about starting RIGHT NOW? Another challenge I have is that some of the changes require changing their lifestyle, not just breaking one habit. My favorite is, “I’m going to quit smoking cigarettes.” That’s awesome; it truly is. It will surely help you live a longer and healthier life. But what about the excessive alcohol, sodas and fatty foods you eat? How about the fact that you never exercise? How about the fact that you have to take pills to sleep, a gallon of coffee to wake up and something to help you void your body of the junk you’re going to have for lunch?  I’d far rather see (or hear) anyone resolve to live a healthier lifestyle and if that includes quitting smoking cigarettes, then awesome!

But this train of thought made me consider internal things we can change to help improve our own lives. Those who know me know that I’m a bear about outlook and optimism. I do my best to seek the positive outcome, some benefit to be gained, some lesson to be learned even in the worst of times. I had to start thinking about resolutions, habits, etc. that were internal and could have a big impact on my life moving forward.  Here is the short list of things I felt I could change – or give up – in any given year. But, as I stated in the opening paragraph, I certainly wouldn’t wait until January 1 to start in on this goal. The sooner I can accomplish these things, the sooner more positive energy will flow into my life – and yours.

  1. I decided I’m going to stop trying to please everyone. If there’s a lesson life will repeatedly teach you it’s that you can’t make everyone happy. (Pissing everyone off seems pretty easy at times though.)  While I am a big believer in doing what we can to bring joy into the lives of others, constantly trying to make everyone happy will eventually result in nothing but continual stress for you. Face it, there are people in the world who aren’t happy unless they have something to complain about. Nothing will ever be good enough for them and you can’t change that. Trying to make them happy will bring you nothing but grief. Stop trying to please everyone. Be yourself, be a good person and watch the happy people come appreciate what you do.
  2. I decided I’m going to stop fearing change – or having any other negative reaction to it. The only constant in life is change. Nothing ever stays the same. Knowing that, why would we fear change? A wise man (not I) once said that fear is a consequence of your imagination. We fear things that might happen or that might evolve into reality. We fear what we imagine might be coming. Recognizing that, I decided to stop letting my own imagination feed my fears and that fear of change. Change is what lets life evolve and brings us as many blessings as challenges.

 

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The remainder of this essay can be found in the book “Farther Down The Road”

Farther Down the Road – Where does your life’s road lead?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTJ1B2QR

 

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