5 Things You Can Get Rid of in the Coming Year
As we go into a new year, it’s a good time to reflect and think about things we don’t need in our life any longer. But, it’s not just the physical stuff we hold onto that can hinder our ability to live a full life. We hold onto so much more than possessions that can hold us down. We hold onto so many other things in life that prevent us from living a full and purposeful life. So, in the coming year, let’s aim to get rid of a few things that we really don’t need to hold onto any longer.
Fear
I remember seeing a poster in a storage room at the refugee camp I was helping at a few summers back. The post had the words “why not?” written across in big black letters. At the time, I had more ideas than I could put on paper swirling through my mind, and some of them were big and scary ideas. They were things that would put me out there, where I could no longer hide. They were ideas that put me in uncomfortable situations where people might turn me down or say “no.” But, that simple sign gave me a little encouragement to say “why not?” to myself. Why let fear hold me back?
Since then, I’ll admit, I’ve let fear creep back in a time or two. But, as I go into the new year, I want to focus on that two word phrase and think about conquering any nagging fears I might have. Why not go after something new and scary? Why not face fear and put it in its place? There are too many things we need to do this year to let fear hold us back.
Worry
Worry has no place in our lives, well no good place in our lives. This is one thing that I so want to ditch to the curb or set on fire, but I can’t seem to shake it. Some things it’s easy to give up and just have hope because you literally have no control over the situation. When it’s out of your hands completely, you have no choice but to trust that things will work out the way they need to, and that regardless, you’re going to be okay.
The worries I need to let go of are the minor ones where I have some perceived level of control over the outcome. If I have even a little bit of a chance to impact the outcome, it’s hard not to worry.
Whether we struggle with big worries or the small ones, may we let go of a few of them this year and declutter them from our lives.
Negativity
Do you know really perky, positive people? Do they annoy you? Sometimes they do for me…just being honest. Real, hard stuff happens in life and the perky, happy perspective just feels flimsy to me. What I’m learning is that positivity doesn’t always mean perky. It can mean a quiet hope – even a sad hope. It can mean a little bit of a glimmer, knowing that there is some silver lining in everything.
I need to shake off a little bit of my negativity and look on the brighter side of things. I think we all do. But, let’s be realistic and not expect that every moment will be sunshine and rainbows. We will have hard things pop up this year that will make us frown, but if we can focus on the good that lurks nearby, we might just be able to make the next year a more positive one.
Others’ Opinions
I’m a people pleaser and as much as I want to dismiss others’ opinions, it can be hard. I want to move forward boldly with my purpose and do the things I was meant to do, but it can be hard when you’re constantly letting yourself be swayed by opinions of other people.
The truth is that no one else’s opinion about your life really matters. You can choose what voices you listen to and whose opinion you take to heart. Ultimately, YOU need to choose who you will be and what you will do. In the next year, learn whose opinions really matter and if they have any truth to them. Learn to listen to your own voice and own convictions. Be bold and step out fearless in the coming year.
Stress
I think we can all agree that we should leave stress back for last year! While we can’t always avoid stress completely, we can choose how much we let it control our lives. Getting organized, creating systems, learning to say “no,” and other simple habits can help us lower the stress we allow into our lives. Stress likes to creep in without us even realizing it. We have to work to declutter stress (by organizing and getting systems in place), but also by learning how to prevent it in the future.
It does take intention, and we’ll have times when we fail. But, the more we focus on leaving stress behind for the past, the better we can focus on what we’re supposed to be doing in th present moment. Good stress, bad stress, and all in between – we can be intentional to make the next year a less stressful one.
Leaving these things behind is not going to happen overnight. As much as I wish I could pack them up and leave them out for a trash pickup, I know that it will take intentional, regular focus to get rid of these things for the coming year. We’re all a work in progress, but hopefully, we can leave some of this behind so that we free up space to focus on our purpose for the coming year.