As we close out the year, it is important to reflect on how you are feeling and how this year has gone for you.
This is an ideal time of year to release old thought patterns, fears, relationships, situations and things that no longer serve you. It shifts you into the closing down of the previous year and prepares you for the one ahead.
Rather than spending time focusing on what isn’t working, pull all of your energy into what is going well and focus on what you want. Use deliberate action toward those goals and you’ll see changes happen quickly. In my book Adventures for Your Soul, I talk about the power of the ‘Let go List. This is a list of things you want to release so you can feel more balanced and connected to joy. I invite you to make your own list.
In the spirit of preparing for the new year and releasing what no longer serves you, here are 10 things to get your started in the releasing process and let go of 2024.
1. Let go of thinking you aren’t where you’re supposed to be.
Most of the time we are so busy just trying to catch up that we don’t give ourselves permission to actually sit down and examine our life and the choices we’ve made leading up to this moment. Recognize that you are not off track of behind. Everything you’ve done has helped you become who you’re meant to be.
2. Release all thought patterns holding you back.
Think about your big picture and who you want to be in this world. Are you taking steps each day to create this vision, or are you stuck in a routine? It’s time to start telling yourself a more positive story. Take inspired action towards your dream life.
3. Release the need to please others all the time.
Ask yourself how much time you spend thinking about others’ reactions to something you haven’t even done yet. When we worry about what others think, we are not in control of our outcome. When you are confident with yourself and your own choices, you won’t need other people’s approval.
4. Let go of the need to have it all figured out.
What doesn’t make sense yet will someday. Ask yourself, “What part of my life have I been ignoring?” Go deep into the situation you’ve been afraid to address and allow yourself to feel the pain and recognize there is purpose to it.
5. Let go of the idea that things aren’t working out for you.
Everything is really much better than you can imagine. You can realize this when you practice self-love. Self-love is a buzzword these days. Some of us wonder what it really is. Self-love is simply an appreciation and acceptance for who you are, as you are, not when you meet your soul mate, not when you lose the weight, not when you have more money or land your big dream. It is embracing who you are in each moment
6. Stop asking “WHY” this is happening to you.
Situations will happen but how you react to them is what makes the biggest difference in your life. Instead of saying why is this happening to me, ask what you can learn from the situation? This will be a game changer for you.
7. Release the need to control the outcome.
It can be hard to move forward if you don’t like the current situation you are in. But the situations you are in are part of a bigger plan. You may not get what you want when you want, but trust you will always get what you need when you need it.
8. Stop believing you are your mistakes.
Don’t waste any more time on your paste. Everything you’ve been through is a learning opportunity for you to learn about your true self. There are no mistakes, only growth.
9. Release the need to be right.
We live in a time where there is extreme contrast. Different views can make it hard to trust others but recognize that you being right is not as important as being happy. Proving others wrong does not make you right. Instead, focus inward and align with love. When you are confident in your own choices, you don’t have to prove anything.
10. Let go of thinking it’s too late for you.
Your dreams matter and they come to you for a reason. Follow your heart, and you will be free. What is something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t yet? The inner critic, the fear part of us, always tries to sabotage us. It says that now isn’t the right time, you don’t have enough money or clarity, or what will people say? As you move into the new year, let go of listening to the ego voice and choose to let go.
This post adapted from PlayWithTheWorld.com
She is best-selling author of three books about happiness, including Find Your Happy and Adventures for Your Soul. She appears regularly as a happiness expert on AM Northwest and Huff Post Live, and was named among the “Top 100 Women to Watch in Wellness” by the Mind Body Green. Shannon's the founder of Playwiththeworld.com, an award-winning self-help and personal development website. She's an author, international life coach, teacher, travel writer and inspirational speaker who left her job in advertising several years ago to follow her heart and become a writer.
Her work has been recognized in media outlets across the globe such as HuffPost Live, Health Magazine, Australian Vogue, Women’s Health, Spirituality & Health and Entrepreneur magazine. Everything Shannon does is to help you connect to your true self and unapologetically live your authentic purpose.
Connect on Facebook @ShannonKaiserWrites
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