The 3 Things U Need to Stop Doing Right Now to Start Living
“May you live all the days of your life.” – Jonathan Swift
Ask yourself these questions and answer honestly:
Are you really living all the days of your life?
Are you truly present?
Are you making the most of the day you’ve been given?
If you answered no to any of the above then you need to stop doing these 3 things to live every day to its fullest:
1. Stop living in the past.
The past is over. If you’re reliving the past today you’re not in the present. Step back and really think about this. Why are you letting the past take up the precious opportunity you’re being given today? You can’t change the past. It’s over. So why are you so obsessed with visiting it and trying to live there? Every moment you waste reliving the past is a moment you’re missing in the present and that’s a real shame.
2. Stop living the same story.
Many of us define ourselves by the “story” of who we think we are. Maybe you were the kid who almost failed all of his classes. Maybe you were the shy kid who had trouble making friends. Maybe you were the troublemaker who always seemed to be in hot water. You do realize that you don’t have to live that story right? You are the storyteller and the author of your life and you get to choose what story you’re going to tell. Sure people may expect you to live the same story line (especially if you kept choosing it day after day and year after year) but why not surprise them and yourself by writing the story you want to live.
3. Stop making excuses.
Every day we are given a new opportunity to start over. In fact, you could stop reading this blog right now (though I hope you’ll make it to the end) and make a change in your life. Even just a small one. So why haven’t you? Is it because you’re making excuses? I’m too tired. Too out of shape. Too weak. Too scared. Too untalented. What would happen if you stopped making excuses and actually started trying to live the life you want to lead? Why not make one small change today in order to live the life you want to live? Start small but start.
Stop doing just one of the three things above today (See how easy that is! I’m not even asking you to do all three!) and watch how the day starts to look different.
Live your life today. Live it to the fullest.
And when you’re done, be grateful and get ready to live again tomorrow.
The human ego prefers anything, just about anything, to falling, or changing, or dying. The ego is that part of you that loves the status quo – even when it’s not working. It attaches to past and present and fears the future.
– Richard Rohr
I love this quote because it reminds us that the ego is the little part of you that doesn’t want to change.
Listen to the chatter of your little voice as an example of this. Your little voice/ego is always looking backwards and reliving the past or imagining the future. It imagines both good and bad outcomes for the future but even those imagined outcomes are based on your own past experiences. I mean, let’s be honest here. Unless you can actually see into the future, you have no idea what the future holds and yet our egos like to spend time there.
For some reason, the ego just cannot stand being in the present moment. It feels vulnerable. Unsafe. Unsure. It becomes threatened by who you really are…by your True Self.
So, once again, we come back to awareness and present moment awareness as ego squishing tools.
Take a minute. Heck, take 30 seconds. Oh hell, take ONE SECOND. Seriously, take just one second and be aware. Be aware of your breath. Be aware of your inhale and the moment between that and your exhale. In just that one second you start to quiet your ego. In just one second, you start to become more of your True Self. Breathe.
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