Opinion
Life is full of stuff, both emotional and tangible, and letting go of the past is difficult. However, holding onto numerous things, including these 11, may prevent you from moving forward.
Let go of the victim mentality
Everyone has some form of past trauma, be it from their childhood or later in life. Either way, it’s easy to get stuck on the things that have happened to us, holding onto the pain. While everyone has the right to address and process their trauma, using the hardships as an excuse for poor behavior or choices shows a lack of accountability and prevents you from growing, learning to move through your emotions, and moving one step closer to mental fortitude. In other words, using your hardships as an excuse prevents you from moving forward.
Material possessions
Society will tell you that you need the latest in technology, fashion, cars, and so on. However, simplistic joys like taking a walk outside or being in a clutter-free home will create a calmer and less expensive life, meaning you won’t have to work as hard to pay the bills and you can find more time for peace and serenity throughout your day.
Let Go of Self-Doubt
You’re the creator of your destiny so self-doubting will prevent you from building your desired life. Instead, feel confident in all you offer to the world and nurture the skills you wish to strengthen. Conversely, holding onto doubts about your value will hold you back from pursuing positive and life-changing opportunities.
Let go of the Scarcity Mindset
Allowing fear of not having enough money, time, or opportunities to dictate your life will ultimately prevent you from living and enjoying each moment to the fullest. Furthermore, it will lead to missed opportunities, burnout from working too much and too hard, and fear of taking risks.
Forgive Yourself and Others
It’s easy to get swept up in “Why did I do or say that?” However, it’s important to remember that everyone makes mistakes, it’s how we learn and grow. Therefore, giving yourself and others some compassion, grace, and forgiveness will help clear your mind and heart and open you up to new experiences, rather than letting old habits and patterns define the future.
Let Go of Unhealthy Relationships
Although everyone needs companionship and connections with others, unhealthy relationships take a major toll on one’s mental health and well-being. Moreover, life is too short to spend it with people who don’t bring you peace and joy but instead drain all your emotional and physical energy.
Perfect is Unrealistic
While it’s great to set high goals and aim to be productive, successful, and give every situation your all, obsessing about everything being perfect doesn’t benefit anyone. Instead, you’re stressed and may lash out at the people closest to you. Meanwhile, perfection is impossible to achieve because almost everything in life comes with some good and some bad. However, you can continue to move forward in life by giving your best effort without putting too much pressure on yourself or others.
Unhealthy Habits are Roadblocks
Taking good care of our bodies is one way to maximize our time on Earth. We have the energy to do the things we love, and breathe and think clearly. In contrast, unhealthy habits like eating too much, drinking alcohol excessively, or smoking can cause long-term health risks that diminish quality of life and prevent people from moving forward to achieve their goals. Additionally, it’s easy to start making healthier choices little by little because you’ll feel so good about each small step you take, that you’ll feel unhappy or uncomfortable undoing those good habits with bad habits.
Let Go of an Inflated Ego
Although it’s important to let go of self-doubt, being too full of yourself can also have a negative impact on your ability to move forward in life or tackle your goals. An inflated ego can prevent you from learning from others or about life, making the road to personal growth and discovery a bumpy road, and one you may not get much out of.
Let go of Others’ Narratives
Limiting yourself to the beliefs and thoughts of others will prevent you from experiencing and fully enjoying the things that bring you happiness. For instance, you may want to take up a new hobby or learn a new skill but are worried that your family might think you’re wasting your life. Perhaps, you’d like to explore a new career path but are afraid your family won’t understand. Of any number of scenarios, the part to focus on to move forward is not to be concerned about what others will think. Rather, everyone is living a unique and individual journey, and unless they’re causing harm to others, animals, or the planet, they’re entitled to do their journey their own way.
Embrace Change
People find themselves comfortable, then content, and then complacent when they don’t experience changes. For instance, someone who’s lived in the same town or state their whole lives likely hasn’t been exposed to diversity, new opportunities to further their career or learn about other cultures or ways of life. While no change seems safe, taking chances on new experiences and opportunities will open your life up to more than you ever thought possible.
Let Go of Uncertainty and Fear
Lastly, let go of uncertainty and fear. Few things in life are concise or guaranteed; be brave enough to take chances anyway because each failure is an opportunity to learn and grow, while each success will bring you closer to who and where you want to be.
Moving forward in life may seem scary or intimidating but it’ll open you up to a world of so many new and exciting possibilities that moving forward will become a breeze. You’ll one day look back with gratitude for how far you’ve come, rather than living in the past, stuck in old patterns.
Read More: Think Positive: Your Negative Thoughts Are Linked To Dementia Later In Life