11 Things

#11 What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?


1. Walls- I’ve built some tall ones that are pretty well guarded. Every time I tell the truth about myself, regardless of people’s reactions, it’s like taking down a brick from the wall.

2. Mistrust- Despite what I may have heard, the world really is a safe and honorable place to live in. I’m totally safe, no one is out to get me. I’m practicing putting myself “out there” to prove this to myself. (It’s going well. It’s completely terrifying.)

3. Being Lazy- I used to go to yoga three or four days a week. These days it’s easier to hang out in bed for an extra hour or pickup fast food instead of cooking a healthy meal. If I use my time more effectively and get more sleep on a regular basis I’ll have the time and energy to take better care of myself.

4. The word “Sure”- I’ve always been a little afraid to tell people “no”. So I over-commit and end up overwhelmed and having to disappoint people in the end. I’m keeping my social schedule quieter in 2011 so I have more time for the things that really matter as well as working out!

5. Apologizing- I’m often “so sorry” I’m not able to do something, go somewhere etc. I’m stopping apologizing for things that are out of my control. I hope this will help me take some small amount of power back in my own life.

6. The word “Can’t”- It’s a cop-out. There are very few things I “can’t” actually do. There are a lot of things I don’t want to do or don’t have the time to do. Saying what I mean might mean hurting people’s feelings, but it means being authentic and that's what I need to be. Not to mention- if I say it nicely… maybe it won’t hurt anyone’s feelings.

7. I think #4-6 all lead up to this one- I’m giving up being a people pleaser. I’ll do what I want, when I want without hurting anyone else and that will have to be good enough. Anyway, people who like me for what I do or don’t do aren’t really the kind of people I need to have around anyway.

8. Old energy- I have a few items of bedding that I had when my ex and I were still together. We’re talking 4 years now since the break-up. It’s time for new sheets and a new duvet cover… and some lingerie that he didn’t buy.

9. Self-doubt – Sometimes Occasionally Frequently, I find myself in tears or massively frustrated and angry over something that didn't turn out perfectly. This applies to teaching, cooking, decorating my mom’s house for Christmas (we’re not talking bawling, just a few tears of frustration that I’m not good enough.) But if I am conscious and in the moment while I do something and I give it my all I’m just going say I did my best and that’s I can ask of myself. “Excellence, not perfection.”

10. Financial Confusion- 2011 is the year I learn how to *really* balance my checkbook, how to stick to my budget and how to make my money work harder.

11. Being Small- I’m tired of downplaying how great I am because I don’t want to intimidate anyone… I’m intimidating (apparently) anyway. So, without bragging, I’m living my life as large and as beautifully as I can. My life is wonderful and that doesn’t make your life any less wonderful. Hopefully, it makes your life that much more wonderful. There are unlimited “wonderful” lives in the world.
I’m claiming mine.