The following has been excerpted from 15 Things You Should Give Up to Be Happy by Luminita D. Saviuc, creator of PurposeFairy.com, an online self-help resource.
It is necessary… for a man to go away by himself… to sit on a rock… and ask, “Who am I, where have I been, and where am I going?” – Carl Sandburg
Always question your excuses
In his book Excuses Begone, Wayne Dyer suggests that we should always question our excuses by asking ourselves these two simple yet powerful questions:
“Is it true?”
“Can I be 100 percent sure it is true?”
Grab a pen and a piece of paper and write down all the reasons why you think you are not living the life you deep down inside want to live.
Here are a few examples of excuses:
- What if things don’t go as planned?
- What will people think of me?
- I can’t afford it.
- I don’t have the time.
- I am too busy. Too old. Too tired.
- It can never happen to me.
- It never happened before.
- My family won’t support me.
- I can’t do it because of my past.
- I’m not ready.
- I don’t have what it takes.
Be open, transparent and fully honest with yourself. Confront, list and question all your excuses. And once you’re done, look over your list and ask yourself:
“Is it true?”
“Can I be 100 percent sure it is true?”
Are you sure that the things you think about yourself, the things you think you can’t do, be or have are true? Can you be 100 percent sure that they are true?
Replace your excuses with positive affirmations
You will be a failure, until you impress the subconscious with the conviction you are a success. This is done by making an affirmation which “clicks.” – Florence Scovel Shinn
Don’t make excuses for why you can’t get something done. Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen, and in the end you will find a way. If you know the why you can handle any how.
Start by taking a good look at your list of reasons why something can’t be done. See how you can replace those excuses with positive and empowering affirmations, affirmations that will inspire you to give up all your excuses and start focusing on many of the reasons why it can be done.
Here are some examples:
I don’t have the time » I have all the time in the world to do all the things I want to do and more.
I am afraid » Fear is just an illusion. Love is the only thing that’s real. If I focus on love, I will be safe.
My family won’t support me » My family wants me to be happy, and I know they will support me in my search for happiness.
I am too old » Age is just a number. An issue of mind over matter, as Mark Twain said, and if I don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
Make the unconscious conscious. See your excuses for what they are—excuses. Take control over your own thoughts and over your own mind.
Replace your many excuses with positive affirmations and then choose to act upon these positive affirmations. Act upon your heart’s desire. Do the things you need to do in order to get where you want to get. Read the books you need to read, contact the people you need to contact, build the skills you need to build. Find the right people. Ask the right questions. Do whatever it takes to move yourself closer to living the life you deserve to live. And trust that with every step you take, your excuses will disappear, your life situation will improve, and you will move closer and closer to the life you want to live.
Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. – Martin Luther King Jr.
[su_panel background=”#f2f2f2″ color=”#000000″ border=”0px none #ffffff” shadow=”0px 0px 0px #ffffff”]Luminita D. Saviuc is the playful spirit behind the popular PurposeFairy blog. She was born and raised in Romania, but since then has lived in many countries around the world in search of Self and Soul. Her acclaimed blog post, “15 Things You Should Give Up to Be Happy,” was shared by more than 1.2 million people on Facebook and later became the heart of this book. Through everything she is and everything she does, Luminita continues her work of shining light in the world.
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Reprinted from 15 Things You Should Give Up to Be Happy: An Inspiring Guide to Discovering Effortless Joy by Luminita D. Saviuc, by arrangement with TarcherPerigee, a member of the Penguin Publishing Group, a Penguin Random House Company, Copyright © 2016 by Luminita D. Saviuc. |
