STOP IT! RIGHT NOW!

We all have our habits. Some are bad habits, some are good habits.

The good habits might be going to the gym on a regular basis. Another idea might be eating healthily with a cheat day once a week. (I assure you, those cheat days are gold.)

Examples of bad habits might be:

• Swearing (WTF?)
• Picking your nose
• Biting your nails
• Smoking
• Eating fast food
• Speaking with your mouth full (Sorry Mum)

These are all examples of bad habits and we should try to stop them now if you are guilty of doing them, although in saying that I saw a good quote about swearing today:

"Personally, I don't find swearing offensive. I do find back stabbing, lying, cheating and fucking people over offensive, but not swearing."

We all have our bad habits but there are some others that you might not think of that we need to quit as soon as possible. 

1. Trying to please everyone

If you try to do this, I suggest that you stop right now. It is impossible to try and please everyone because as you know, we are all different and whatever you do, there is always going to be someone who doesn't appreciate your effort or just straight out doesn't like you and you have to be OK with that. I know for some of you, the idea of someone not liking you is unpalatable but at the end of the day, that is life, isn't it? 

2. Scared of change

Hey! You introverts out there, change is OK. It allows things to become better. It allows you to become better and that is good, right? I know that I'm not the best when it comes to change but it helps to embrace it instead of running away from it. 

3. Living in the past

Sometimes we dwell on our past. We think about the things we did or said in the past that haven't actually covered us in glory. The worst thing we do and I think introverts are the worst at this is we dwell on it. We think to ourselves why we actually did that or why did we actually say that and we think to ourselves how stupid we were. We really work ourselves up about it but in fact probably what has happened is that the person who was around us has probably completely forgotten about what you said or did which probably wasn't too bad anyway. So, why live in the past?

4. Putting yourself down

In my book, there is nothing wrong with self-deprecating humour. It will get you a few laughs and relax some people. There is a big caveat though, don't put yourself down. An example I can think of is from my primary school days. I remember a big guy named Glen. He told me this joke when I think of it was not so good. He said that because he had a lot of fat on him that he was a walking microwave oven. At that time I didn't think it was very funny and it must have let a big impression on me because I still don't think it is very funny. Don't put yourself down. It doesn't leave a very lasting impression on you.

5. Overthinking

A few weeks ago I had a meeting that I thought might get a bit confrontational. That afternoon, I was going through all the scenarios in my mind and getting more and more worked up about it all. In the end I didn't need to worry about it because all of the things I had thought about didn't come to fruition. It was just wasted energy and a waste of my time. I had overthought it all and had got myself in such a state that I could not do anything. Definitely a big waste of time. 

There you have it. Five things you need to stop doing NOW. I assure you that your life will get better and better and you will attract great things into your life. 

Today's quote: "The funny thing about introverts is once they feel comfortable with you, they can be the funniest, most enjoyable people to be around. It's like a secret they feel comfortable sharing with you. Except the secret is their personality."

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