#purposefairy

A study that was performed on elderly individuals a few years back, has shown that during old age, there are many people who regret the things they didn’t have the courage to do as opposed to only a few who had regrets about the things they’ve done.

By taking this study into consideration, let’s assume that tomorrow is the last day of your life. Would you have any regrets regarding the things you did or did not do?

What I want to point out through this mental exercise is that you should review your life in advance before it’s too late and start having regrets, and if you are not exactly sure how to do that, then here is a list that could help you turn things around so you will live a life free of regrets. I would also love to know which of these 13 things you found the most challenging.

1. GET YOUR LIFE ON PURPOSE

Firstly you will need to understand how important it is for you to get your life on purpose. If you keep putting all your meaningful plans off and you if you continue doing things just for the sake of doing them, chances are that you will look back at your life with regrets. Stop chasing the wrong things and get your life in order, get your life on purpose. “When I chased after money, I never had enough. When I got my life on purpose and focused on giving of myself and everything that arrived into my life, then I was prosperous.” Wayne Dyer

2. STOP WASTING TIME

It’s funny how for many of us tomorrow looks better than today for getting things done. We put off those things that are so important for us and we lie to ourselves by saying we will do them later, we will do them tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Stop fooling around, it is your life you’re playing with, your future and the future of those close to you.

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

3. STOP PLAYING THE VICTIM CARD

Know that the more time you spend complaining the more time it will take you to find a solution and get out of the mud. The brain is hardwired to look for trouble in order to protect you from a great danger,  but keep in mind that we are not cavemen anymore.

 “You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.”  Shirley Hufstedler

4. TAKE ADVANTAGE – EACH DAY OFFERS A NEW BEGINNING 

It doesn’t really matter where you’ve been, it doesn’t really matter how many mistakes you’ve made and it doesn’t really matter how many times you’ve been rejected and ridiculed in the past because you see, today is a brand new day and you have another chance, a new opportunity to start all new.

“Don’t let a bad day make you feel like you had a bad life.”

5. STOP MAKING UP EXCUSES

“You already have every characteristic necessary for success if you recognize, claim, develop and use them.” - Zig Ziglar

There are so many people out there who managed to go past their disabilities and inspire lives, and we can take Hellen Keller as an example. You and I know that there are plenty of people who have no disabilities whatsoever and still they find all kind of excuses not to move forward with their lives, not knowing this will only bring more pain upon them along the way. Don’t let that be you. Look within and know there is something you can do better than anyone else. Find what that something is and share it with the whole world for that’s where you will find happiness.

6. STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS

No matter what you do, no matter who you are and where you are, always remember you have your own unique path to walk on. Don’t compare yourself, your work and your journey to anyone else for that would only distract you from your own path, your own journey of self-discovery and self-mastery.

“True nobility isn’t about being better than anyone else; it’s about being better than you used to be.” Wayne Dyer

7. STOP SABOTAGING YOURSELF

Yes, we sabotage ourselves all the time, whether we realize it or not. We say we want something and the moment we feel it’s coming our way because we get scared, we start sabotaging ourselves in one way or another and this usually happens at the subconscious level. 

8. STOP THE WHAT IF

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” - Steve Jobs

What if they laugh at me, what if I fail, what if I’ll look stupid, what if, what if…  Well, you will never know until you try but chances are nothing terrifying will happen to you and if you ask me, there is nothing more terrifying than wasting your life, there is nothing more frightening than getting to the end of your life and realizing you wasted your life, the only life that was offered to you.

9. STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Get out of your comfort zone, have the courage to step into the unknown for that is how you’ll allow your mind to expand, to grow and to create new things. Don’t be afraid to try new things, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and most important, don’t be afraid to learn from these mistakes.

“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” Brian Tracy

10. DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS

In order to learn and grow you will have to ask questions, a lot of questions. Nobody was born having the answer to everything. It’s okay not to know, so don’t be afraid to ask questions.

“He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.” Chinese Proverb

11. EMPLOY YOUR TIME IN IMPROVING YOURSELF BY OTHER MEN’S WRITINGS 

With the Internet and the many resources we have at hand nowadays is quite easy to learn everything we want to learn and even more. You can’t really use your excuses anymore. Take advantage of all that is being offered to you and promise yourself to

“Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for.” Socrates

12. FIND A MENTOR

Find somebody who will help you become the person you aspire to be whether this person is alive or not, whether it’s somebody you know personally or not as this would have a huge impact in your life and your journey. I chose Wayne Dyer as my mentor and I only spoke to him once but that hasn’t stopped me from being inspired and motivated by him and all of his teaching and to master many of the skills he has.

13. DON’T GIVE UP ON YOURSELF

Sometimes, in life there are certain things that you have to give up in order to gain. We have to give up so we can be better, greater. Give up so we can grow to our fullest potentials.

And here's a perfect break down of 15 things you should give up to be happy by Purpose Fairy.

Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:

1. Give up your need to always be right. There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?”Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. Give up your need for control. Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

3. Give up on blame. Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle

6. Give up complaining. Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

7. Give up the luxury of criticism. Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

8. Give up your need to impress others. Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

9. Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it. “Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell

10. Give up labels. Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer

11. Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place. “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. Give up your excuses. Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

13. Give up the past. I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

14. Give up attachment. This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another,  attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.

15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations. Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves.  You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.