Can you believe that it’s already end of the year? Today, let’s talk about three things that I think you need to let go of in order to live your best life in 2020. These are the things that I personally had to let go of this year, and that I’m going to continue to let go of next year, in order to live the best life that I could possibly live.
For me, the majority of 2019 was not so awesome. Along with couple of job shifts, I also had a full-blown quarter life crisis. But now, after doing a lot of self-reflection, I can confidently say that I’m in a much better place than I was in the beginning of 2019. In order to get to this place now, where I feel a lot happier and healthier, there were certain things that I had to let go of. Quite frankly, I think that these are the things that you should let go of too, especially as we enter the new year.
Seeking the Approval of Others
The first thing you should let go is seeking the approval of others. Being afraid of what other people think stops a lot of people from doing the things that they want to do in their lives, whether that’s putting their talents out there, quitting jobs that they hate, meeting new friends, or building new networks. The key thing that I’ve realized is that life is too short to stop yourself from achieving personal happiness because of other people. It is so unfair for you to hold yourself back, for you to make your dreams smaller, for you to make yourself smaller, because you are afraid of what Sally from 10th grade who you still have on Facebook is going to say about you for doing whatever. It’s just totally not worth it to hold yourself back because you’re afraid of the opinion of six to seven people that you know from the past.
You would notice that the moment you let go of the thought of what other people would think about you, you begin to get more creative, take more risks in your life, and finally start doing the things that actually set your heart and soul on fire, and as a result turn you into a happier and stronger person.
I totally get it. Maybe at some point in your life or multiple points in your life, when you did try to step out of your comfort zone, or when you did try to do the things that you want, you had one or two people burn you. You had one or two people try to bring you down. You had one or two people who tried to make you smaller. But guess what? 2020 is a whole new year. You have the opportunity to create a whole new identity for yourself. You can even do that today! Stop giving those people the benefit of shrinking your dreams just because you want to make space for them. Actions of those people are a reflection of them and their insecurities, and not yours. Don’t give them that benefit.
Your Past Self
The second thing that you need to let go of is your past self. Now, what is past self? Let me explain. Your past self is what your brain is hardwired to think of yourself and what you do, based on how the world has been seeing you so far. It is what forms your reputation.
Here’s an example of how your past self could be holding you back. Let’s say you want to be an influencer. But your past self is telling you that it’s not possible because you’re known for being conservative. You’re known for being more serious. You’re known for being XYZ. Maybe even at one point, you were talking bad about influencers yourself. Well guess what? If you change your mind, and you decide one day that you want to be an influencer, and build a tribe of yourself, just do it. Rewrite the rules for yourself. Recreate yourself. That’s what new years are for.
If you one day wake up and decide that you don’t love what you’re doing, or you decide that you have an interest in something new that might not be aligned with what you were once known for, it doesn’t matter. Just do it. Don’t let your past self hold you back.
Unhealthy Relationships
Last but not least, the third thing that you need to let go of, in order to live your best life in 2020, is unhealthy relationships that drain you. Now this is a hard one, especially if the people that you need to let go of are currently the closest to you. In 2019, I had to let go of certain people in my life, and it certainly was not easy. But it’s so true that you are the average of the five people that you surround yourself with the most. Guess what? If you’re hanging around people who drain your energy, who hold you back, who make you feel low about yourself, it will negatively affect the quality of your life, and how you see life as well.
Something that I’m personally working on for 2020 is to be a more positive person, and to spread more light rather than spreading darkness. What I realized is, when I was surrounding myself with negative people, people who think small, people who talk bad about other people, or people who only find problems in life and not solutions, it really started to affect me as well. The moment that I started hanging around more entrepreneurs, women that had very similar goals to me or were even achieving the things that I want in this lifetime, I felt like a vibrational shift in the quality of my life. Not only did I feel a lot more confident, because I was surrounding myself with people who were very like-minded to me, and who had very similar goals to me; but I also felt more ambitious. I felt like I could do way more things than I had thought. I started thinking bigger rather than just thinking small and being narrow minded.
I also noticed that the moment I started hanging around people who were positive and uplifting, I didn’t really care about anyone else’s thoughts anymore. From that point onwards and until now, I feel way more supported. So if you can tap into that, and if you can find people who uplift you, then do that. I really hope that you’re able to find that in this lifetime, because it makes the difference in how you see life and how you act in life as well.
In preparation of 2020, what I challenge you to do is to take this last week to pay very close attention to the people you are surrounding yourself with, and really be honest with yourself who you actually want to have in your tribe. Trust me, when you have a strong tribe of like-minded people, it will not only strengthen your purpose in life, but also is vital to your happiness, your personal success, and your growth in this lifetime.
That’s it. Those were the three things that I highly encourage you to let go of before 2020 starts, so that you can enter the new year on the right foot.
Wishing everybody a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!