There are lots of things that weigh us down, slow us from our journey or hinder us from achieving our goals and dreams. In which case, we MUST stop, evaluate our situation and hand it over to God.
Here are 5 things that we should give up?
I can name five right now:
1. Give up hanging out with toxic people.
We have friends, and even relatives who seem to make it their life goal to make us feel miserable. But, we stick with them thinking or maybe hoping that they will eventually change. The problem is oftentimes, instead of changing them, they change us. Their negativity is somewhat more powerful than our love. In this case, we must start distancing ourselves from them. Learn to love some people from a distance, and save yourself from the stress they bring.
Some folks boost our energy reserves. Others drain us dry. In reality, we each have choices. We get to decide whom we allow into our inner sanctum (the space where our spirits replenish, our hearts lower their walls, and our being renews). Not everyone deserves an all-access pass.
2. Give up any habits that are not contributing to your growth.
If you spend more time online playing games or watching TV than doing something productive, give it up. Or at least minimize your time at first. Time flies when you’re having fun, and you’d be surprise when one day you realize you spend almost half of your waking moments doing nothing.
Is there a habit or behavior you would like to change?
There is room in all of our lives to say goodbye to a limiting habit and adopt a new and healthier one. Yet making and keeping a commitment can be challenging. Stepping up to the plate to create real change takes more than just courage.
3. Give up waiting for someone who doesn’t show interest or care.
If they want to be in your life, they’ll find a way. If not, they’ll find an excuse. Sometimes we lose ourselves trying to hold on to people who could care less about losing us. Not anymore. It’s time to start guarding our hearts.
4. Give up thinking small.
You’ll never get anywhere in life unless you start thinking big. Give up playing small, and thinking you’re not relevant, because you matter! No one will benefit with you playing small.
I’m fascinated by the things that hold us back from achieving our full potential. One of the most common failure scenarios is resting once you get to “enough”. The logic goes something like this, “If I try to achieve too much I may lose what I have.”
5. Give up unforgiveness.
Unforgiveness is said to be like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. Unforgiveness kills you. Unforgiveness destroys you. Unforgiveness keeps you awake at night. For all you know, the person you can’t forgive… doesn’t care at all, or has already forgiven him/herself and has happily moved on with their life. In the end, you keep yourself trapped in a prison you created. Give it up and set yourself free.
This may not happen overnight, but with time, you can allow yourself to forgive and be forgiven. Stop worrying about what you cannot change or events that are (or were) out of your control. We are all imperfect, but we live and we learn. Be sure to tell yourself that often.
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?
