Women Blazing Trails

How many habits do you have and do regularly that make you feel great? Hopefully, quite a few! Alternatively, how many habits do you do every day that make you feel bad? Or, make you feel bad, but you didn’t even know? There are so many things we do throughout our life that seem like reasonable and normal personality or social traits but ultimately lead to a sort of lessening of the spirit. We have small social tendencies to upkeep or feel like we should give into that are innocent on the surface but aspire to engage in a sort of demeaning of our character after time. Things like gossiping or evaluating our self-worth all aim to upset our chakra and unbalance our lives. Here are some things we do without realizing it, that we could avoid to keep ourselves on the straight and narrow.

Giving In To Gossip

“Great minds talk about ideas. Average minds talk about events. Small minds talk about people.” We’ve all heard or seen this popular adage, and although it may be a bit dramatic, it is also a bit true. There are enough times throughout the day when we feel forced to give in to talking about gossip just to fill in social space. We sit in food courts with nothing to talk about and resort to gossiping about other people, our friends, family, enemies, or anybody when we know we should be talking about something with more substance. We all know that gossiping is bad, and it’s been ingrained in us since our social training as children. Whenever gossip starts to rear its head, try to steer the conversation away to something more positive and worthy. In the moment of defense, you’ll be surprised how many more great things you can come up with to talk about!

Reacting On Impulse

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Any time we react on impulse, we are acting out of fear, emotion, or pride. We make quick, snapshot decisions of which the consequences are not thought of and are uncontrollable. When you feel the urge to react impulsively, whether it be when you are driving, shopping, or arguing with your loved ones, take a deep breath and relax for a minute. Allow your mind to clear and choose your words and actions for the benefit of the future, whether it be two minutes into the future or a decision that will resonate for years to come. Slow down and think.

Evaluating Your Self-worth

Too often these days, we are presented with opportunities where we feel that we need to evaluate our self-worth based on others, or at least our perception of ourselves against them. We see our friends having great days on Facebook, and we see young people walking around with the most modern and trendy of styles. We compare ourselves to them, and more often than not, it becomes an issue of self-deprecation and belittlement. Learn to love yourself not based on your fashion, hair, age, size, or Facebook posting history. Appreciate who you are and what you offer to the world as a loving and compassionate person with a great circle of friends, family, and influences, and you will rocket to the top of the charts.

Telling Yourself You’re Too Old

Telling yourself that you are too old to accomplish anything you’ve set your mind to is the first step to disaster and unfulfilling life. I have seen backpackers traveling the world that were over 65 years old, people starting businesses well into their fifties, or people publishing books and memoirs when they are in their old age homes. There’s no limit to the capacity of any human, and age is certainly not the limiting factor. The only thing limiting yourself is you and your beliefs. We are never too old to continue, and there is no age limit for success.

Not Taking Our Priorities Seriously

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Procrastination is not something that is reserved only for teenagers – in fact, adults are more prone to procrastinate out of any age group! We get lazy and tired the more we work, and it shows when priority rears its head. We are perhaps shy or lazy to confront the reality of a situation we get in, and it takes us a long time in turn to either confront our fears or face the responsibilities that we have in front of us. It diminishes our power to make confident decisions, and we might develop an opinion that we can put anything on the back burner, resulting in a slow growth of nihilism. Confront your responsibilities firsthand, and don’t be afraid to make the wrong decision.

We Put Too Much Pressure On Ourselves

There are a lot of things we want to get done in our lives and a lot of things we see our friends doing that we want to get done as well. People travel, succeed, get promotions, new things, etc., and we have as much drive to get these things as well. Sometimes we want everything at once and are frustrated when things aren’t materializing the way we imagined. We must remember that life is long, and we need to take time to get everything we want done. We cannot put too much pressure on ourselves, or we might get overcome with frustration and start to feel unable.

Living in the Past

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Grudges, anxiety, regret. All of these things put unnecessary strain on ourselves but only exist in the past. We cannot revisit the past, and all we can do is move forward into the future. Staying in the past will keep us in the past and not give us any hope to look ahead to a brighter life and happier times. Leave all the sorrow, pain, and grudges behind.

Choosing Career Over Family and Friends

This doesn’t happen to everyone, but sometimes it occurs when we least expect it. We take jobs to enhance our resume or acquire new credentials, but it is at the expense of our lifestyle or time. We sacrifice time with our friends or family or take jobs that have long commutes or are even abroad, and our relationships are put under duress. We’ve done it for the job, but after we’ve got the experience, sometimes we have different relationships than we’d had before, and our hearts feel the greatest burden. Make decisions that positively impact your lifestyle and that of your family. At the end of our life, it is not money or a good resume we need, but the relationships that make us feel fulfilled and have a life of love.

Hanging On To Toxic Relationships

We wait for things to get better. We hold on to the hope that the toxic person will change their ways, apologize, improve or whatever. But we know that’s not going to happen, yet we still hang on at the expense of our happiness. Know when it’s time to cut your cords and move on so you can have some peace, joy, and freedom in your life.