Five Things to Stop Doing This Year

Posted by Denise Dare on January 8, 2015

I love to focus on what I want to attract + invite into my life, but the truth is sometimes we’ve gotta let go of the shit we no longer need in order to make space for more of what we want.

Use these ideas as inspiration to get into the feel good flow of your life. To prioritize what feels right for you. To do more of what makes you happy.

Here are a few things I encourage us to let go of this year {and forevermore!}

And no matter what, remember that perfectly imperfect is just right.

Just do the best we can each day + we’ll see magic + miracles in our lives.

Now on to the list:

1. Drinking soda: There is nothing in soda to nourish the body. We’re talking highly processed empty calories. A waste of money and a burden on health. Get rid of soda and start drinking water instead. Buy a rad reusable water bottle and make good old fashioned water your new best friend. Truly, this will boost wellness and physically make everything work better. And when our bodies feel good, it is so much easier for our lives to feel good.

2. Watching the news: I’ve got nothing against actual news and journalism, in fact I wanted to be a journalist when I went to college {unfortunately my school of choice, UCLA, did not have a journalism major so I chose to study English instead}. The thing is that modern news is really just a massive fear explosion. The purpose of so many news stories is not so much about reporting news, but about getting the audience amped up on fear. I do believe it’s important to know what’s happening in our world, but this does not require daily news watching or reading. Instead of giving attention to media that is so incredibly negative and fear based, try starting or ending the day with reading something inspirational or funny or lighthearted. Give attention to the things that remind us to see the good in this world and notice how this begins to shift the perspective from fear to joy.

3. Worrying about money: So for those of you who know me really well, you know that I’ve spent most of my life worrying about money. The thing is, all this worry has gotten me nowhere. Truly, the worrying hasn’t helped me get through college or travel through Europe or buy a home or start a business or live debt free or home educate my daughters. That worry has only helped me feel shittier along the journey. These past few years I have been choosing to practice something totally radical: trust. Trusting that there’s enough, trusting that money will work out, trusting that all is well. I’m not perfect at it yet, but I’m definitely getting better. And the most important part is that I feel better when I choose an abundance mindset. Letting go of that scarcity mindset and the energy sucker we call worry has freed space in my mind and heart to focus on abundance and appreciation and all the good that is in my life. And this is totally worth it.

4. Slacking off on your sleep: Now I realize that life can be incredibly full and sometimes we cannot avoid staying up late or missing out on getting enough sleep for our body. But I implore you to make sleep a priority in life. Giving ourselves permission to sleep enough does not mean we’re being lazy or missing out, it means that we are nurturing ourselves and prioritizing self care so we can show up as our most vibrant selves for our own lives, for the people we love, and for our greater community. When we prioritize our own wellbeing, we begin to honor and love ourselves more deeply and completely…and this has incredible rewards for everyone.

5. Taking people + life for granted: It’s been said that we don’t realize what we’ve got until it’s gone, and for many that may be true. But it doesn’t have to be. When we begin to choose presence and appreciation as a daily practice and lifestyle habit, we can cultivate such awareness that we actually see the abundance in our lives. We appreciate the hot water when we shower, the ease of moving from place to place in our bodies, the natural world around us giving us light and food and water, the people we interact with providing services and kindness, the people we love supporting us and inspiring us…even our own hearts and lungs and organs and bodies giving us the opportunity to live and experience the richness of being human. Focusing on what we’ve got and truly being aware each day about what a gift it is to be alive is one of the easiest ways to feel good.

Now, over to you! Love to know what you’d add to this list…share your ideas in the comments below.

All love + so much appreciation for YOU,