Instead of stopping yourself from eating meat on Fridays during Lent, here are five other things to stop doing instead:
Stop being unkind to yourself.
During these 40 days, don’t power through. Don’t allow that critical voice inside your head to tell you that you’re not good enough. Don’t do things that make you feel bad after you do it (you know what I’m talking about: the seven-hour Netflix binge where you fall asleep at dawn on a work night, finishing the bag of Cheetos, one more bottle of wine).
Instead, look in the mirror and see the things that make you unique and beautiful. Rest, sleep, eat delicious, healthy food. Send time with people you love. And when you hear that critical voice, stop and shift your thoughts to something positive instead such as “Ooh, Holy Week’s coming. I can spend more time being creative/resting/doing something to replenish my body, mind and spirit.”
Stop saying “I can’t…”
You can. If what you want feels too overwhelming, break it down into little bits and take the next small action. Not everything needs to be a dramatic leap. Even the smallest step in the direction you want your life to head towards is forward movement that says “I can.”
Stop putting things off for later.
Stop making excuses. There will never be enough money, expertise, knowledge. It will never be the right time. But if you want to be better than before, if you’re not happy with how your life looks like today, you have to stop letting fear stop you and instead let your vision for your life guide you.
Stop running away.
Be aware of how you feel and acknowledge it. Have the difficult conversation. Speak up. Don’t be afraid of your own power and greatness. Stand your ground. Live up to your commitments.
Stop worrying about what others think.
You will be surprised at how little others think of you because, let’s face it, how much time do you
think about others? You can listen and choose to respect others’ opinions but at the same time, you can choose to live your life according to your values, your vision and dreams. There are other limitations but other people’s opinions shouldn’t be one of them.
