Lifestyle

Just a few famous quotes and personal thoughts on living the happiest, most fulfilling life possible…

1.  Living and Speaking Your Truth

“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion.  Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”  ?Franz Kafka

The second most courageous thing you can do is to think for yourself.  The number one most courageous thing you can do is to think for yourself out loud, especially when others try to suppress your thoughts with their own.  When you stick to your guns and think and speak freely, some people will become irritated, put you down, and walk away.  You may lose a few friends and lovers.  But you after a short time you’ll realize that you don’t even miss these people; and just as you start realizing this, new people will show up in your life who cherish your opinions and respect your thoughts.

Above all, remember that your silence will not save you; it will haunt you for an eternity.  Stand strong.  Think for yourself.  Speak your truth.  Read 1,000 Little Things

2.  Perfectionism

“If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content.”  ?Leo Tolstoy

Every one of us is a perfectionist about something.  Learn to sense when your desire to make something perfect is preventing you from getting it done.  Realize that the idea of perfection is not only unachievable, it can destroy your otherwise productive mindset.  It will keep you running in place, feeling insane for your entire life.

If you feel like you’re running in place right now, take a break and reflect.  Think about the difference between diligent effort and perfectionism.  Know when enough is enough.  Say it out loud if you must:  “Get lost perfectionism!  Without you I am brilliant!”

3.  Spending Time with Positive People

“An attitude of positive expectation is the mark of the superior personality.”  ?Brian Tracy

Some people will be critical of you regardless of what you do or how well you do it.  If you say you want to be a dancer, they will discredit your rhythm.  If you say you want to build a new business, they will give you a dozen reasons why it might not work.  They somehow assume you don’t have what it takes, but they are dead wrong.

It’s a lot easier to be negative than positive – a lot easier to be critical than correct.  When you’re embarking on a new venture, instead of listening to the few critics that will try to discredit you, spend time talking to one of the millions of people in this world who are willing support your efforts and acknowledge your potential.  Read Emotional Freedom.

4.  Conquering Fear

“In a word, I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong.”  ?Charles Dickens

The only possible way to never fail is to never do anything at all – which isn’t living, it’s dying.

Your doubts and fears are your greatest enemies.  They automatically make you forfeit your victories by convincing you not to make any attempt at all.  Realize the irony here.  When you run from your fears, all you’re really doing is taking a shortcut directly too them – you’re giving up and wasting away without any chance for success and happiness.

5.  Self-Belief

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”  ?Theodore Roosevelt

In life, it is helpful to be able to persuade others, but the only person you absolutely need to convince is yourself.  Unless you sincerely convince yourself of something, no amount of persuasion of anyone else will move you forward.

The number one thing you need to convince yourself of is that you CAN do whatever you seek to accomplish.  If there are skills you must have, you can learn them.  If there are resources you need, you can locate them.  Your beliefs and commitments drive possibility into otherwise difficult situations.  Convince yourself to achieve, and you will find a way to get there.  Read How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.

6.  Finding the Right Partner

“When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.”  ?Donald Miller

If you’re still searching for the perfect partner, stop.  There’s no such thing.  There are only different flavors of imperfect ones.  In fact, you are just as imperfect as the partner you seek.  You simply need to find someone whose imperfections complement your own.

This process doesn’t happen overnight.  It takes a lot of living to grow into the realization of your own imperfections.  It takes lots of life experience before you bump into your deepest inner demons, your greatest flaws, and all the idiosyncrasies that make you, YOU.  And it’s only after you meet these imperfect parts of yourself that you know who you are looking for – someone whose scars and flaws fit your own – someone who’s imperfect in the perfect way for you.

7.  Self-imposed Limitations

“Everything you can imagine is real.”  ?Pablo Picasso

We’re all part of a great universe far larger than ourselves.  Each of us is merely a small fraction of this living, breathing whole.  You may experience yourself as being different, separate from the rest, when you are in fact a very connected element of this whole.  Denying this fact restricts your potential to the finite space around you – the people, places, and resources within your immediate reach.

Your greatest task in life is to keep your mind unshackled and free from this limiting mindset.  Broaden your horizons, accept your oneness with the world around you, and connect with the infinite possibilities that await your attention.

8.  Excuses

“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”  ?George Washington

The biggest problem standing between you and your goal is the sorry excuse you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.  Sure, a believable excuse may enable you to save face in the short-term, to appear more diligent than you know you are, but eventually this lie will catch up to you.  The question you should be asking yourself is:  “Do I want to seem successful to someone else, or do I want to know in my heart that I am?”

You deserve more than a life filled with empty excuses.  Don’t settle for a growing list of reasons for failure.  You can just as easily give yourself real, undeniable reasons to succeed.  Choose to make honest, authentic progress.  Even a tiny effort is infinitely more productive than a grandiose excuse.

9.  Procrastination

“You may delay, but time will not.”  ?Benjamin Franklin

It’s time to get up and make an immediate difference in your life.  You know all those things you’ve been meaning to get done for the past month, year, etc.?  Pick one right now and start doing it.  Get your hands dirty, challenge your brain, get sweaty if you have to.  Break out of your comforting lull and get involved.  If you feel crummy, it’ll make you feel better.  If you already feel good, it will make you feel great.

Life is far more fulfilling when you participate in making positive things happen.  The moment you take positive action, your outlook begins to change.  When you notice that you’re making real progress on goals that matter to you, the world is suddenly a much more enjoyable place to live in.  Read Eat That Frog!

10.  Solitude

“I have to be alone very often.  I’d be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone.  That’s how I refuel.”  ?Audrey Hepburn

You need alone time sometimes, because when you’re in solitude you’re free from obligations and external pressures.  You’re free to be YOU without being fancy and putting on a show.  You’re able to hear your own thoughts and follow them sincerely.

Go ahead and find a quiet place.  Stretch your boundaries.  Explore places you’ve never been.  Go so far away from what you know that you stop being afraid of the unfamiliar.

Cherish your time alone.  Take long walks and drives by yourself.  Watch sunsets and sunrises silently in peace.  Teach yourself something new.  Read books.  Write poetry.  Sing along to your favorite songs.  Check your instincts and follow them on your own time, without third party influence.  Decide if fitting in is more important than discovering who you truly are and what you’re here to do.

Photo by: Hartwig HKD

You are GOOD enough, SMART enough, FINE enough, and STRONG enough.  You don’t need other people to validate you; you are already VALUABLE.

Sometimes we try to show the world we are flawless in hopes that we will be liked and accepted by everyone, but we can’t please everyone and we shouldn’t try.  The beauty of us lies in our vulnerability, our complex emotions, and our authentic imperfections.  When we embrace who we are and decide to be authentic, instead of who we think others want us to be, we open ourselves up to real relationships, real happiness, and real success.

There is no need to put on a mask.  There is no need to pretend to be someone you’re not.  You have nothing to prove to anyone else, because…

1.  The people worth impressing just want you to be yourself.

In the long run, it’s better to be loathed for who you are than loved for who you are not.  In fact, the only relationships that work well in the long run are the ones that make you a better person without changing you into someone other than yourself, and without preventing you from outgrowing the person you used to be.

Ignore the comparisons and expectations knocking at your door.  The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.  Prove yourself to yourself, not others.  The RIGHT people for you will love you for doing so, and they will appreciate all the things about you that the WRONG people are intimidated by.  Bottom line: Don’t change so people will like you; be patient, keep being your amazing self, and pretty soon the RIGHT people will love the REAL you.

2.  No one else really knows what’s best for YOU.

Don’t lose yourself in your search for acceptance by others.  Walk your path confidently and don’t expect anyone else to understand your journey, especially if they have not been exactly where you are going.  You have to take the steps that are right for you; no one else walks in your shoes.

Let others take you as you are, or not at all.  Speak your truth even if your voice shakes.  By being true to yourself, you put something breathtaking into the world that was not there before.  You are stunning when your passion and strength shines through as you follow your own path – when you aren’t distracted by the opinions of others.  You are powerful when you let your mistakes educate you, and your confidence builds from firsthand experiences – when you know you can fall down, pick yourself up, and move forward without asking for anyone else’s permission.  (Read Awaken the Giant Within.)

3.  YOU are the only person who can change YOUR life.

In every situation you have ever been in, positive or negative, the one common thread is you.  It is your responsibility, and yours alone, to recognize that regardless of what has happened up to this point in your life, you are capable of making choices to change your situation, or to change the way you think about it.  Don’t let the opinions of others interfere with this prevailing reality.

What you’re capable of achieving is not a function of what other people think is possible for you.  What you’re capable of achieving depends entirely on what you choose to do with your time and energy.  So stop worrying about what everyone else thinks.  Just keep living your truth.  The only people that will fault you for doing so are those who want you to live a lie.

4.  Society’s materialistic measurement of worth is worthless.

When you find yourself trapped between what moves you and what society tells you is right for you, always travel the route that makes you feel alive – unless you want everyone to be happy, except you.  No matter where life takes you, big cities or small towns, you will inevitably come across others who think they know what’s best for you – people who think they’re better than you – people who think happiness, success and beauty mean the same things to everyone.

They’ll try to measure your worth based on what you have, instead of who you are.  But you know better than that – material things don’t matter.  Don’t chase the money.  Catch up to the ideas and activities that make you come alive.  Go for the things of greater value – the things money can’t buy.  What matters is having strength of character, an honest heart, and a sense of self-worth.  If you’re lucky enough to have any of these things, never sell them.  Never sell yourself short.  (Angel and I discuss this in more detail in the “Self-Love” and “Simplicity” chapters of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)

5.  Life isn’t a race; you have nothing to prove.

Everyone wants to get to the top of the mountain first and shout, “Look at me!  Look at me!”  But the truth is, all your happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing, not while you’re sitting at the top.  Enjoy the journey by paying attention to each step.  Don’t rush through your life and miss it.  Forget where everyone else is in relation to you.  This isn’t a race.  You get there a little at a time, not all at once.

Let go of the foolish need to prove yourself to everyone else, and you’ll free yourself to accomplish what matters most to you.  Sometimes you have to remind yourself that you don’t have to always be and do what everyone else is being and doing.

6.  The path to all great things passes through failure.

You are an ever-changing work in progress.  You don’t have to always be right, you just have to not be too worried about being wrong.  Screwing up is part of the process.  Looking like a fool sometimes is the only way forward.  If you try too hard to impress everyone else with your “perfection,” you will stunt your growth.  You will spend all your time looking a certain way, instead of living a certain way.

It’s impossible to live without failing sometimes, unless you live so cautiously that you aren’t really living at all – you’re merely existing.  If you’re too afraid of failing in front of others, you can’t possibly do what needs to be done to be successful in your own eyes.  You have to remember that it doesn’t matter how many times you fail or how messy your journey is, so long as you do not stop taking small steps forward.  In the end, those who don’t care that failure is inevitable are the ones that reach their dreams.  YOU can be one of them.  (Read The Last Lecture.)

7.  It’s impossible to please everyone anyway.

Some people will always tell you what you did wrong, and then hesitate to compliment you for what you did right.  Don’t be one of them, and don’t put up with them.

When you run into someone who discredits you, disrespects you and treats you poorly for no apparent reason at all, don’t consume yourself with trying to change them or win their approval.  And be sure not to leave any space in your heart to hate them.  Simply walk away and let karma deal with the things they say and do, because any bit of time you spend on these people will be wasted, and any bit of hate and aggravation in your heart will only hurt you in the end.

Afterthoughts

You don’t need a standing ovation or a bestseller or a promotion or a million bucks.  You are enough right now.  You have nothing to prove.  Care less about who you are to others and more about who you are to yourself.  You will have less heartaches and disappointments the minute you stop seeking from others the validation only YOU can give yourself.

The floor is yours…

How has the desire to be accepted by others interfered with your life?  What has it stopped you from doing or being?  How have you coped?  Leave a comment below and share your insights with us.

Photo by: Lali Masriera

Close the door to the habits that have been holding you back, change the record, clean the house, and get rid of the dust and dirt.  Stop denying yourself a fair chance.  Stop being who you were, and become who you really are.

Starting today, stop…

1. Playing it safe. – Have you ever tucked something of value “in a safe place” out of fear that someone might ruin it or steal it from you?  And then one day woke to the realization that you had hid it so well that even YOU couldn’t find it?  If so, then you understand the wisdom of leaving your heart and your dreams in the wide open.  To reach for what can be, even when we’re doubtful.  To let go of what is lost, even when it’s painful.  To live as though we’re brave, even when we’re fearful.  These are the trials we face and the choices we make along the path to happiness and success.  Read A New Earth.
2. Letting everyone else decide for you. – When you feel out of control, it can be tempting to look for someone willing to take charge of your life for you.  But before you do, consider this:  If you put a collar around your own neck and hand the leash to someone else, you’ll have little or no say about where they lead you.  Set your own boundaries and run freely within them.
3. Doubting your own dreams. – It doesn’t matter if your hope is to write a book, find lasting love, start a business, achieve forgiveness, heal your body, learn to play a musical instrument, find inner peace, or something else.  The first step – and often the longest, most arduous one – is to believe that your dream is possible.
4. Tolerating the influence of negative people. – Sometimes we forgive people simply because we want them in our life, and sometimes we let go of them simply because we have had enough.  Saying goodbye is one of the most painful ways to solve a problem, but from time to time it’s necessary.
5. Letting failed relationships haunt new relationships. – There’s a purpose to every failed relationship.  The purpose is not to lower your expectations, but to raise your standards.  Remember, you don’t want someone who chooses you solely for what’s good about you.  You need someone who sees the bad too, and still appreciates you just the way you are.
6. Expecting constant bliss. – True happiness is not found just within positivity, it is found within reality, which means accepting the fact that both positivity and negativity coexist.  Trying to be 100% positive all the time is wanting to be an ocean in which waves only rise up and never come crashing down.  However, when we recognize that the rising and crashing waves are part of the same one ocean, we are able to let go and be at peace with the way things are, which leads us to happier, more productive places in the long-term.  Read Stumbling on Happiness.
7. Dwelling on the things you’ve lost. – In life, there are some people and things you’re going to have to lose in order to find your best self.  So be grateful for what you have right now, try not to dwell on the things you’ve lost, strive for what you want most, and keep marching forward.
8. Overlooking the lesson. – Everything happens for a reason – a reason you can learn and grow from.  People change so you can learn how to let go.  Things go wrong so you learn to appreciate things when they go right.  You believe lies at first so you eventually learn who you can truly trust.  And sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.
9. Holding on to resentment. – No matter what resentment tells you, to forgive is always in your favor.  Leave no residue of hostility in your heart.  Release the bitter thoughts you have towards yourself and others.  Only then can you satisfy your craving for happiness.
10. Being overly critical of yourself. – If you feel like everyone is judging you all the time, realize that we often feel this way when we are too busy judging ourselves.
11. Letting pessimism feed your procrastination. – We have two choices when we wake up in the morning:  either we go back to sleep and dream, or we wake up and chase that dream.  We often spend way too much time wondering why we’re not good enough, and discrediting ourselves, instead of giving ourselves credit.  We waste too much time with our heads down and hearts closed, never giving ourselves a chance to look up from the ground to see that the sun is shining bright, and that today is another perfect opportunity to take action and pursue our dreams.  Read How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.
12. Giving up too soon. – From time to time people ask me how I hold my head up so high after all I’ve been through, and I always tell them the same thing: “It’s because no matter what, I am a survivor, not a victim.”  Never let go of hope.  Remember what you deserve and keep pushing forward.  Someday all the pieces will come together.  Unimaginably good things will transpire in your life, even if everything doesn’t turn out exactly the way you had anticipated.  And you will look back at the times that have passed, smile, and ask yourself, “How did I get through all of that?”

Photo by: Pim van den Heuvel

Here are 52 Monday morning stress reduction mantras – one for each week of the year.  I choose one Mantra every Monday morning and sit silently for a few moments, repeating it slowly in my mind as if I were meditating.  I also write the mantra on a post-it note and stick it next to my computer monitor for the duration of the week.  This weekly ritual has helped me reduce unnecessary stress in my life by reminding me to keep things simple and within a reasonable perspective.

The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.
– Sydney J. Harris

1. Everything I do is by choice.  There is always another option.
2. I will strive to be the best I can be, but I will never try to be someone I’m not.
3. I must keep dreaming.  Wanting what I don’t think I can have is the first step to making my dreams a reality.
4. I won’t use where I’ve been to justify where I am.  I will use where I am to jump-start where I’m going.
5. Right now is the only guaranteed moment in my life.  I will make the best of it.
6. Think big.  Start small.  One bite of the elephant at a time.
7. I will prioritize my obligations and do the important things first.
8. I will not try to please everyone.  I will simply do what I know is right.
9. The more productive I am, the luckier I will become.
10. There is nobody else exactly like me, with my exact abilities, talents and ideas.
11. I’m not supposed to have all the answers.
12. Laughing, crying, joy and anger – all are vital, all make me human.
13. I can’t change who I am.  I can only change what I know and how I apply this knowledge.
14. I will slow down and become conscious of life’s simple pleasures.
15. I will focus more on less.  I will get rid of stuff I do not use.
16. I will not try to read other people’s minds.  I will not make other people try to read mine.  I will communicate effectively.
17. I can help myself by helping those around me.
18. I will take ownership of my actions so my actions never own me.
19. Every person has a unique definition of success.  To me, success means…
20. I will never make decisions in a state of emotional haste.
21. If I want to remember it, I will write it down in a trusted location.
22. I will do something today that makes me happy.
23. Everyone doesn’t have to like me and I don’t have to like everyone.
24. The one with nothing to hide is always the one left standing tall.
25. My habits define my life.
26. I will say no when I should.
27. I will stand firm by my values without senselessly promoting them.
28. We are all weird in our own way.  This makes life beautiful.
29. Everyone has a story.  There’s a reason why people are the way they are.  I will appreciate them just the way they are.
30. I cannot make someone love me.  I can only be someone who can be loved.
31. The biggest mistake I can make is doing nothing because I’m scared to make a mistake.
32. Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
33. What other people think of me isn’t that important.
34. If I want to believe in myself more I will start doubting others less.  Because where I most easily doubt others is where I most easily doubt myself.
35. I will ask questions if I’m not sure.
36. I will let go of things I can’t change and instead concentrate on things I can.
37. There are extraordinary things going on in my life.  I have a lot to be thankful for.
38. Today is a new beginning – a chance for me to do something extraordinary.
39. No matter how small, I will celebrate my successes today.
40. I will thank people who have helped me and I will return the favor as soon as I am able.
41. There are ideas, products and cultures I do not yet understand.  I will keep an open mind.
42. The most important things in my life are my health, my family and friends, and my education.  Everything else is secondary.
43. There are thousands of little things that just aren’t worth fighting for – I will let them go.  I will choose my battles wisely.
44. I will stay out of other people’s drama and not needlessly create my own.
45. I will always be honest with myself and others.
46. Every mistake I make is progress.  I must learn from my mistakes and the mistakes of others.
47. I will treat everyone with the same level of respect I would give to my grandfather and the same level of patience I would have with my baby brother.
48. Nothing is permanent.  However good or bad a situation is now, it will change.
49. Life is short and people are not perfect.  I will forgive myself.  I will forgive others.
50. Missing a once-in-a-lifetime chance leads to regret, or creativity.  Because what can’t be redone can still be outdone.
51. No matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be.  Either I succeed or I learn something.  Win-Win.
52. I will not waste my time on jealously.  I’m in competition with one person and one person only – myself.  I’m competing to be the best I can be.

Please feel free to edit this list to meet your own needs.  I’ve made a few modifications myself over the past few years.

Also, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to sign-up for our free newsletter to receive new articles like this in your inbox each week.

Photo by: noelty kay

by Tess Marshall

The best time to relax and regroup is when you don’t have time for it.

There seems to be an outbreak of overwhelm on this planet.  Everyone believes they have to be busy, on the internet, and on the go every second.

When you feel overworked and overwhelmed, stop and listen to the stories you’re telling yourself about your time, your work, and your life.  In order to change your feelings, you have to change your thoughts.  You could say that your problem with overwhelm is all in your head!

We forget that life happens in the moment.  Nothing else is real.  We only have to live in the now and work on one thing at a time.

Overwhelm doesn’t exist.  It’s an illusion – a story we tell ourselves that offers us an excuse to get out of what we don’t want to do or don’t think we can do.

But we can choose to live our lives one choice and moment at a time.  If you’ve been feeling overworked and overwhelmed lately, the tips below are for you.

1. Begin each day by doing your most difficult task first.  Set your timer for 30 minutes and begin.  Usually that’s all it takes to get going.  Work until time is up.  You’ll feel less distraction and fear.  You’ll have progress to celebrate.  And with momentum behind you, you’ll be ready to take the next step forward.
2. Be proactive and get organized.  Clear unnecessary clutter.  Eliminate all but the essential that gives you value.  Organization isn’t about perfection; it’s about efficiency, reducing stress and clutter, saving time and money and improving your overall quality of life.  And be sure to take 15 minutes at the end of your day to clear off your desk; then list your three most important tasks for the following day.
3. Manage your energy.  Everything around us is made up of energy.  To attract positive things into your life, start by giving off positive energy.  Once you’re in the positive, the secret to getting ahead is to focus all of your energy not on fixing and fighting the old, but on building and growing something new.
4. Take one day at a time.  No matter what’s happening, anyone can efficiently fight the battles of just one day.  It’s only when you add the battles of those two abysmal eternities, yesterday and tomorrow, that life gets overwhelmingly complicated.  (Read The Power of Now.)
5. Tame perfectionism.  Stop over-thinking and over-analyzing everything.  Do your best and surrender the rest.  Let go.  So many creations and inventions never come to fruition because we spend too much time thinking and not enough time doing.  And then, once we begin “doing,” we never think what we’re doing is good enough.  Like overwhelm, perfection is an illusion.
6. Get over feeling like everything is so important.  It isn’t.  Stop overworking yourself.  Don’t exaggerate the importance of things.  Learn to say no to others so you can say yes to yourself.  Learn to go with your own flow.
7. Remind yourself that you are good enough.  Keep a success journal.  Note what you got right.  Celebrate what goes good.  Create the feeling of success in your mind.  Visualize the end result that you want to see.
8. Be mindful while you work.  Allow the distractions to float out of your awareness like a passing cloud.  Continue focusing on the task at hand.  Remind yourself that there is nothing to fear.  Focus on being productive, not being busy.
9. Shift your perspective.  Mix things up.  Take a walk.  Move to another room.  Work in a different chair.  Go to the library.  A different location brings a different perspective and clarity.  Just change your view.
10. Breathe.  If you’re feeling anxious or fearful, relax your mind and concentrate on your breath.  It connects you to your center and the present moment.  Keep calm.  Yes, the time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.
11. Make time for quiet.  Listen for guidance.  We avoid getting quiet in order to avoid our problems.  We prefer distraction, busyness and social media.  It’s less painful than admitting we might need to do something different or change.
12. Make a thought list.  Write down the thoughts that are filling your head.  Write down what you need to do, want to do, and should do.  Write down good ideas and distracting thoughts.  Go back to it later and cross out anything that’s not important, helpful or necessary.
13. Share the load.  Give up perfectionism and trying to do everything yourself.  Learn to delegate.  If you can’t afford to hire some help, find a way to barter.  Release your burden and allow others to feel needed.
14. See suffering as a choice.  We create our lives.  We choose to get support or go at it alone.  We decide what to do and when to do it.  We decide when to hang on and when to let go.  Overwhelm is an addiction and an illusion.  We use it to justify an irrational way of living.  (Marc and Angel discuss this in more detail in the “Adversity” chapter of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)
15. Flip your self-talk from negative to positive.  Do these lines sound familiar?  “I’ll never get this finished.”  “I can’t.”  “What else can go wrong?”  “I have too much on my plate.”  Change your self-defeating thoughts around: “I’ll finish one thing at a time.”  “I’m good enough.”  “What can I learn from this?”  “Tomorrow is another day.”  Overwhelm comes from your thinking.  Manage your self-talk and your feelings will change.
16. Be grateful for what you have now.  Having is about the present moment.  Wanting is about the future.  When your focus is always on what you don’t have now, you’ll never reach a future you’re satisfied with.  And the more you want, the more overwhelmed you’ll feel.
17. Don’t judge yourself.  Give yourself a break.  Let yourself off the hook.  You’re only human.  There’s no need to compare yourself to others.  Own your strengths.  Learn to think well of yourself.  Tomorrow’s another day.
18. Let go of the need to feel important.  We are part of a culture that thrives on feeling important through busy-ness.  We live in a society that chases money and fame.  We have a crazy need to be popular.  It’s a trap that keeps us striving instead of thriving.  It’s a choice that brings on feelings of overwhelm.
19. Make self-care a priority.  If you concentrate on your problems and weaknesses, the world will too.  It believes exactly what you tell it — through the words you use to describe yourself, the actions you take to care for yourself, and the choices you make to express yourself.  Tell the world you are one-of-a-kind creation who came here to experience wonder and spread joy.  And get ready to be accommodated.
20. Commit to a healthy lifestyle.  Exercise energizes you.  Just do it.  Don’t skip meals when you are under pressure.  Choose real food.  Don’t sleep less to get more done.  Sleep brings focus and clarity.  (Read 8 Weeks to Optimum Health.)
21. Do what brings you joy.  Visit your favorite book store or coffee shop.  Call your best friend.  Spend time in nature.  Get a massage.  Take a long walk.  Stop the overwork and overwhelm.  Replace them with joy.
22. Make Sunday a fun-day.  Give yourself a full day for play.  Refill your bucket.  That means catching up on sleep, making time for laughter and fun, and otherwise making time for recovery from the chaos of your routine.
23. Be generous.  Over-tip taxi cab drivers and waitresses when you can.  Volunteer in soup kitchens.  Visit the elderly.  Give to those who can’t pay you back.  Because doing so will free your mind and make you feel incredible, and you’ll be making the world a better place to live in.  Seriously, you have not truly lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.
24. Make time to connect with others face to face.  Life is more than text messages and tweets.  Sometimes the message is lost in the medium.  Take digital breaks and spend more time connecting face-to-face and flesh-to-flesh with the people who matter to you.
25. Spend more time with the right people.  As Marc said in 1,000 Little Things, “These are the people you enjoy, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve in healthy and exciting ways.  They are the ones who make you feel more alive, and not only embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be, unconditionally.”

Afterthoughts

For the cynics out there who might say that the list of ideas above is too long to reduce overwhelm, there are really only two steps you need to start with:

1. Identify what’s most important to you.
2. Eliminate as much as you possibly can of everything else.

And once you get your mind wrapped around this, use the 25 tips above to support your efforts in applying this two-step process to various parts of your life.

Your turn…

What’s been making you feel overworked and overwhelmed lately?  What changes do you need to make?  Please leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

Author Bio:  Tess Marshall M.A. is founder of The Bold Life and a personal development-industry entrepreneur.

Photo by: Esparist