It must be something in the blogosphere but I keep seeing all these “things to leave behind in 2013” posts. I swear I had mine written first, y’all! I’m always a big fan of new beginnings (I basically have mini “New Year’s” each month) so this concept of identifying destructive behaviors/situations and vowing to do better truly resonates with me.
1. Allowing self-doubt to derail my progress
Self-doubt is normal. I don’t think I’ll ever fully get to the point where I believe every idea I have is going to work. That’s not how life works. But while you can’t stop self-doubt entirely, you can accept it for what it is (a moment to pause) and keep going.
2. Allowing my fear of failure to guide my decisions
A couple nights ago I Googled “BunchOfInsecurities.com” to see if the URL was available. I was going to use it to blog about my quest to become more confident and secure in myself. Because as of right now, I am, in fact, a bunch of insecurities, and that has to stop in 2014.
3. Being busy for no reason
When did we start glorifying being busy? We’re expected to be up grinding at all hours of the night, busting our butts, posting Facebook statuses like “they sleep, we grind” or hashtagging #SleepIsForTheWeak. But being busy 24/7 is a recipe for disaster. In the beginning yes, you’ll be able to work 80+ hours a week and be okay. But over time, the effects of being #TeamNoSleep will catch up with you, leaving you with health problems, neglected relationships and more. Take time to unplug, unwind and reconnect with yourself. I know I will.
4. Taking care of everyone else but me
I went out this past week and bought myself a new purse. My current one is one that I swiped from my sister over the summer and I hadn’t bought a bag for myself in well over a year. But when I went down the list, I realized I hadn’t purchased anything for myself in a long time. No perfume, no lotions, no new clothes, no new car air fresheners, no nothing. Time to change that in 2014. I work too hard to walk around looking homeless.
5. Dehydration
This goes into the larger theme of taking care of myself, but I need to drink more water. When I get busy, I start focusing on everything other than keeping myself hydrated. But if I’m drinking water all day long, I’m at least doing one thing to take care of my health.
6. Gossip blogs
In every behind-the-scenes piece I’ve watched on the U.S. presidents, they have staffers that vet the news they need to know. They’re not following what Chris Brown is doing, they’re not looking at whether or not Beyonce wore real fur to a vegan restaurant — they’re only sharing the most important, more crucial pieces of information. That’s where I’m trying to land. I spent way too much time on gossip blogs, telling myself they were simply a guilty pleasure and a quick escape from reality, but truthfully, there are better guilty pleasures (cupcakes! LOL) and better ways I can spend my time.
#3!!!!!!! YES YES YES! I have no idea when staying up all night for your brand became popular!!! I had to step aside and realize that I need my sleep. I need my down time to just lay around and enjoy a few hours quiet with a good book and a cup of coffee! My blog, photography, brand etc will still be there when I’m done.
#4!!!! One of my goals of the year is to get back to taking care of me! I used to get a massage EVERY month. I used to buy clothes, purses take myself to lunch JUST BECAUSE. Somehow last year, I stopped doing all of that. And I have no idea why? I was forgetting to nurture myself while I was busy nurturing others.
Nice post. All of these are problems that I need to address. 1 and 2 are biggies for me. I think they are for a lot of people. I over think thins because I’m afraid to fail, or because I’m afraid I’ll make a bad choice. The one thing I have done better with is taking care of myself. I gave myself a pedi twice last week. It’s been so long since I did that, and you know what? I see that when you start doing things for yourself again, you’ll realize how GOOD it feels and maybe be encouraged to do it more often. Do something for yourself at least once per week whether it is painting your nails, buying yourself a new bag or jeans…something.
#4. This holiday, I outdid myself. I never buy anything for myself. This Christmas, I bought a Keurig Coffee Machine, a 1997 Lauren Hill CD, a Gerald Levert CD, a purse, an outfit from Dressbarn and jewelry. This is the way I will continue in 2014. Congratulatins on your list.