#17 of "30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself"

Dreams are like stars...you may never touch them, 

but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny. 

#17 - Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.

Life's curveballs are the worst and on occasion you never do ever fully understand why. If you look at it honestly isn't there a curveball in your life one way or another most every day!? Just sometimes they curve more than others. Yesterday was a curveball kinda day. Not that we weren't expecting the call but it still takes your breath away once you here the words spoken out loud.

I have had plenty of curveballs in relationships too. My best advice to myself is to listen and learn from each and everyone of them. Life isn't perfect and even though we would like to think we are... neither are we and I definitely am not. Life's curveballs make us stronger, if we are willing to learn from them and move forward. Living in the past or harping on things that can not be changed is not healthy and it just makes you miserable. So smile, pick your self up, brush off the dirt and swing at those curveballs you'll see life is so much easier, happier and brighter when you take the risk, swing away and just let GO!!! It's not going to kill you to try! Believe in yourself... you may even surprise yourself just how much better life can be :)

Believe in your dreams and they may come true...

Believe in yourself and they will come true!

#16 of "30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself"

It's the rule of life that everything you have always wanted comes the very second you stop looking for it.

#16 Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”

Just like with Adam and Eve you can't always have what you want. The definition of Jealous: resentment against a rival, a person enjoying success or advantage, etc., or against another's success or advantage itself. Being jealous of what others have is a waste of your time and energy! Stop worrying about everyone else and worry about yourself!!! There are some things in life you can not change. Someone else will always have more money, more expensive car, bigger house... or what you think is the perfect life. Be thankful for what you do have! Negative energy brings negative results. Start thinking positive and good things will follow. Dwelling on the "don't haves" vs. I am blessed with what I do have is not healthy and just brings you down.

Count your blessings! You wake up everyday, you have your health, you have your family and friends, you have food on your table, you have a job... YOU have a reason to live!!! Be thankful and rejoice in the beautiful things in your life. There are a lot of people that don't even have the simplest things in life. Being jealous of the "material" things in life isn't going to bring happiness to your life, it is only going to  bring heartache and grief. "Reach high, for the stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep for every dream precedes its goal."

Dance as though no one is watching

Love as though you have never loved before

Sing as though no one can hear

Live as though heaven is on earth

LIVE - LAUGH - LOVE

Only you have the power to make it happen!!!

#15 of "30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself"

Competition is such a virtue, and everybody's so busy competing, they have no time for compassion. ~ Major Owens

 

#15 - Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others are doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.

Everything in life is a competition!!!  Who has the best wife/husband (girlfriend/boyfriend), best car, nicest house, most money, best relationships, smartest kids, most athletic, best body, the prettiest face, best job... So on and so on, you get the picture. More lovingly referred to as, "Keeping up with the Joneses". The worst part is this is engrained in your brain from the earliest of ages.

Parents in the kindergarten classroom at Back to School Night, "Oh look at little Johnnie's drawing isn't it the best? So much better than that one over there."

Parents yelling at you in front of all your friends, "You are so stupid! Why would you do that? Why can't you be like little Susie across the street?"

Or my favorite, the "Parking Lot Moms chats," whisper, whisper, giggle, point, stare, absolute look of disgust, pointing again, gasp... "OMG can you believe what she did!!!?"

Wikipedia - "Keeping up with the Joneses" is an idiom in many parts of the English-speaking world referring to the comparison to one's neighbor as a benchmark for social caste or the accumulation of material goods. To fail to "keep up with the Joneses" is perceived as demonstrating socio-economic or cultural inferiority. Really!? No wonder we all feel like we have to compete with everyone, everyday in everything we do. Sure it's nice to drive the best car, wear the best clothes, travel to far and exotic places, have a fatter wallet than others, have the trophy spouse on your arm, go home with the first place trophy after every race. But does that mean your happy!?

I have had my days of enjoying some of the finer things in life. Of course it was fun, but was I really happy? LOL no probably not. Let's look back... I was a total snob! I would only wear designer jeans (which I paid 10 times more for than the jeans from JCPenneys or Sears), had to have a nicer car than everyone else in school, date guys that met the status quo (usually athletes), hang out with only the cool kids. Funny thing is I never really thought of myself as a snob until I reconnected with an old friend on FB that told me he had always had a crush one me. When I asked him why he never said anything (now keep in mind he is talking from elementary school through high school) his response was, "Are you kidding me!? Everyone knew you couldn't go up and talk to Dawn... She was the queen of the playground!" OMG!!! LOL shut-up! WOW... really, is that how people looked/thought of me?" OUCH reality check. And I can honestly tell you those were probably the darkest days of my life. I walked away with a alot of life experiences and lessons learned. Most important one... I was NOT happy!!!

Everyday life is a competition! But having the best of everything doesn't mean you are a winner? The winners in life are the people that are happy with who they are!!! Could I stand to lose a few pounds? Of course! Do I have the most money of all my friends? Not  by a long shot! Do I have the best, smartest, most athletic and best looking kids? Of course I do! Well I think so anyway :) Am I the best sales person at work? Nope, but I hold my own! Do I have the best relationship? Nah, but I am happy with where I am now... and who knows what the future has in store! YES there are things in everyone's life that we wish we could improve on, including me. I am just happy to wake up another day, smell the roses and be fortunate enough to have the most awesome family and friends in my life to share each day with!!!  Life isn't a literally a race, however competition will always be a part of it. What is most important for each and everyone of us, is to be thankful for what and who we do have! As long as you are honestly giving your all and doing the best that you can, that's all anyone can expect from you! That is all