15 Things You Should Give Up to Be Happy

Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:


1. Give up your need to always be right. There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?




2. Give up your need for control. Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.


“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu


3. Give up on blame. Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.


4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.


“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle


5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!


“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle


6. Give up complaining. Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.


7. Give up the luxury of criticism. Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.


8. Give up your need to impress others. Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.


9. Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell


10. Give up labels. Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer


11. Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt


12. Give up your excuses. Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.


13. Give up the past. I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.


14. Give up attachment. This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another, attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.


15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations. Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves. You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.


Reblogged from here.


Until next time,


Ciao

Ride To The Airport

Ride To The Airport
====================

Billy Graham had just finished a tour of the Florida East Coast
and was taking a limousine to the airport.

Having never driven a limo, he asked the chauffeur if he could
drive for a while. The chauffeur didn't really have much of a
choice, so he got in the back of the limo and Rev. Graham took
the wheel.

He turned onto I-95 and accelerated to about 90 MPH.

Soon the blue lights of the State Highway Patrol flashed in his
rearview mirror.

He pulled over and a trooper came to his window.

When the trooper saw who it was, he said,
"Just a moment, please, I need to call in."

The trooper radioed in and asked for the chief.

He said, "I have a REALLY important person pulled over and I
need to know what to do."

The chief replied, "Who is it, I hope not Ted Kennedy?"
The trooper said, "No, even more important."

"It isn't the Governor, Jeb Bush, is it?" asked the chief.

"No, even more important," replied the trooper.

"It isn't the President, George Bush, is it?"

"No," replied the trooper, "even more important."

"Well, WHO in the WORLD is it?!" screamed the chief.

The trooper responded: "I don't really know for sure
but I think it might be Jesus, because his chauffeur is Billy Graham!"

Recipe of the week: Sweet potato hash

The other day I had a couple of left over sweet potatoes, I used them up by making a hash. We liked it so much I'm making it again tonight. This is a vegan recipe, if you want to make it Paleo, don't use the beans...you can always add meat to it. Let me know what you think. A Votre Sante! Sweet Potato Hash 2-3 medium cooked sweet potatoes peeled and diced 1-2 Tbsp olive oil 5 oz mushrooms (I used Crimini) 1 large zucchini quartered and chopped 3-4 green onions chopped (white and green) 1 can black beans hand full of cilantro 1/2 tsp salt pinch of cumin pepper to taste In a large skillet, heat oil, saute mushrooms on medium heat for 2 minutes then add the zucchini. After 2-3 more minutes add the green onion and sweet potatoes. Drain the black beans and add salt, pepper, and cumin. After everything is heated thoroughly add the cilantro. Remove from heat and serve. Enjoy.

Jelly Bean Prayer

Never trust...

Recipe of the week: Boneless Asian Short Ribs

I only have 2 other meat eaters in the house so I don't tend to buy a whole lot of meat these days. I think I bought a 1 pound package and sliced the pieces in half. Sadly, my grill is out of gas so I had to use a grill type pan in my broiler but the results were still great. The meat was nice and tender. I served mine with artichokes and green beans sauteed with mushrooms, onions, and olive oil. Let me know what you think. A Votre Sante!


Boneless Asian Short Ribs

1-2 lbs of boneless beef short ribs thinly sliced (if you have more than that double or triple the marinade)

2 cloves chopped garlic
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (if you don't have any use apple cider vinegar)
1/4 cup coffee (optional if you have it, the caffeine helps make the meat tender)
2 Tbsp orange juice (about 1/2 of a large orange)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1 inch chunk of ginger peeled and finely chopped
1 Tbsp sesame oil (olive if you don't have it)
2 finely chopped scallions
1 Tsp black pepper
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)


Combine all the ingredients. Place beef in a large bowl with a lid or a resealable zipper bag or two, squeeze the air out of the bag. Marinate 3-24 hours. The longer the better. Preheat your grill, or your broiler.

Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Place meat on grill. Close the lid and cook, without moving the meat, until it is well marked 5 to 7 minutes. Flip it over and repeat, the meat may need 1-2 minutes longer if it's on the thick side. Enjoy!