Things have not gone as planned. Obstacles rule the day and have an answer for every moment of inspiration you muster up. You take one step forward and quickly retreat and take the path of comfort whenever a bit of resistance comes your way. You dream of a better way yet quickly dismiss it as someone else’s destiny and reality. You do not see a way so you don’t make a way. It is always going to be this way so I would rather remain stuck because I just do not see how it can be done.
Is this an accurate statement to describe your life? You do not have to answer me. For some, though, deep down, there is a bit of truth in what I described. We want to see a real change take hold in our lives yet we have so much trash between our ears that the opportunity runs out of oxygen. It is time to take out the trash. Better known as the clutter of negative self-talk, you are at the moment of decision where removing the clutter is the only chance you have towards pressing towards that which you seek.
Circumstances have not held you back… You Have.
People have not been the true source of the letdown. You Have
No one has held you back… You Have
Life hasn’t passed you by.. You Have
People have not given up on you. You Have
Think about that for a moment. When things have gone well, have you remained grateful? Or has a spirit of discontentment entered your spirit because you thought someone else had more? Have you taken for granted things that perhaps would be life changing for someone else? In my view, there are four things that you must remove if you hope to clear out the clutter and allow the arteries of success to be and remain attracted to you. There are certainly more but I believe these are critical to remove at once.
Envy
We have a tendency to be so envious of how we think other people live. Social Media provides a perfect platform for people to paint a picture of what they want you to see. A beautiful backdrop to go along with a picture perfect vacation on a remote island. A picture of a house and car that demonstrates one has arrived. You have no idea what someone went thru to get what they have. Perhaps there was a great sacrifice or it was a culmination of focused effort resulting in a happy abundance. Maybe, just maybe, they want you to think things are better than they actually are in reality. The point is to compare yourself with who you were yesterday rather than someone else especially if you do not have the full story. Envy needs to be thrown out.
Jealousy
So, someone else got the job, the promotion, and the recognition. That is no reason for you to pout and walk away with jealousy or rage. You have the same opportunities as anyone else because you are the master of your own fate. Maybe you did not try hard enough or long enough or with the right amount of drive and determination. Getting jealous of someone else’s good fortune is only going to stunt your opportunities. The time spent fretting over someone else takes away from the necessary thoughts and actions needed to propel you forward. Jealousy needs to be thrown out.
Regret
Enough already. It happened and it left an imprint in your soul. It may have set you back and certainly, the pain might have been difficult to bear. How much longer will you allow regret to hold you down? The longer you focus on regret, the longer it takes you to come out stronger, wiser, and better prepared to meet the upcoming challenges. The past is done. The cast of characters in the past has moved on to a new performance. You must do so as well. Regret is a wasted emotion because it robs you of your potential. It needs to be double bagged and moved immediately to the trash. It applies a lethal dose of poison to relationships, thoughts, actions, and perspective. It has already happened one time. You do not need to replay it in the DVR of your mind. Regret needs to be thrown out.
Negative Thoughts
What you apply will multiply. Filling your mind with negativity assures continued negativity to enter your mind. This is an ugly cycle without a positive end in sight. By allowing negative thoughts to continue, your decisions, your peace, your perspective, and insight are impacted. You will always have a sour look on your face and more importantly in your heart. You will remain in a bad place and it affects the prospects in all aspects of your life. If anything needed to be thrown out, it is the negative thoughts we allow to fester and marinate. It takes fewer muscles to smile and it takes less effort to think in a positive way. Things will usually turn out the way we think. That is a powerful realization. For me, I would much rather increase the chances of success by thinking in a positive way.
You have so much potential. You have gifts that will benefit others. Unfortunately, we seem to hold ourselves back by allowing certain things to remain in our house. It is time to take out the clutter of those things that trip you up. By clearing out, you clean up and choose to seek all that is within your grasp. You have value and above all else, you are worthy of the success, happiness, and abundance available. All you need to do is to life the fog of those things blinding you towards all that is good and beneficial.
It is time to take out the trash and remove the clutter.
Great reminder to simplify our life and get rid of the clutter. Henry David Thoreau: “Simplify, Simplify”
Chris, This is so spot on! All of your ‘trash bags’ are excellently written about. Thank you so very much. I will be sharing this.
Love this. I believe that the best way to have your best life is to start with your best thoughts. The more you fill your mind with good, the less room there is for negative and bad.
Jane, thank you for your kind words. I like your point of filling up with more positive as it will leave less room for negativity to creep in.
Excellent points, Chris. How many people have we seen that stunt their careers and miss opportunities because of these four attitudes?