“A habit cannot be tossed out the window; it must be coaxed down the stairs a step at a time.”~Mark Twain
More what you may say? You can insert anything into the answer, more time, more focus, more space to create. The list can become never ending.
The “giving up” I want to talk about today is something that may seem easy until you choose to do it. Ready?
Bad habits and negative thoughts. Not too scary, right? Wrong!
These can be our most secure security blankets ever and as uncomfortable as they can be they do provide comfort and security. Crazy right?
For example, we all have our favorite go-to comfort food when life has handed us some heavy crap to deal with and I’m willing to bet that it’s not carrot sticks and yogurt. Comfort equals security. See where I’m going.
Now for the nitty gritty of this. Maybe you would like a little less stress in your day to day life. Which in turn would open up the possibility of more focus, which would lead to more time and in turn would allow you to create space for the things you truly want to do in your life.
See, getting more! (this is not a rabbit hole I promise)
When you want to create something in your life, like less stress, more focus and more time then you have to be willing to sacrifice something to get it. Old habits out, new habits in. Old negative thoughts out, new positive ways of looking at things in.
A great exchange but oh boy what it takes to make it happen.
Let’s look at one way to give up something to get something better from my own personal experience.
I wanted to make more time for writing which seemed impossible but I knew I had to make an exchange, give up to get more. For me, doing something that really spoke to my heart and what really needed my time, meant I had to stop thinking that 20 or 30 minutes was not enough time to spend on writing or anything of importance.
I would look at the clock around 8:30pm and think, “Oh it’s only 30 minutes before I need to start winding down for the night so I don’t have time to write.” So what would happen? I would fritter away that 30 minutes on Facebook, checking email, watching TV or doing something that truly wasn’t necessary. (see old habits and negative thoughts)
Then when I truly started searching for the time to write, guess where I found it? Yep, in that little 30 minute window that I didn’t think was enough time to accomplish much. Now it has become a new habit and I value that time because it allows me to do something that adds value to my life. Plus I am sharing my writing with you which is much more fulfilling than the other stuff I was doing.
Giving up those negative thoughts of not enough time and the habit of wasting time gives me so much more in return.
What are you willing to give up to get more? Start small, think about what you have been wishing for (even if it’s only an extra 30 minutes to call your own) and figure out what small habit or thought is preventing you from doing exactly what you want to do. Then share your ah-ha’s in the comment section below, I would love to hear your story.
Share the love of this post with someone in your life that would like to” get more ” in their lives too.
* Feel like you don’t know where to start with this process or maybe you know what you want to change but not how to get there. I would love to help you! My Work With Me page is now up and running with 3 different ways to achieve your goals. Let me be your best cheerleader along your journey, helping you to achieve living a life you love.
photo credit: michibanban via photopin cc