Fall is the time of year when the let go is seen everywhere. As foliage drops its leaves to make way for new growth, what better time is there for us to do the same? If you are ready for a change that will make you look and feel years younger, it is time to clear away what is not complementary to who you want to be.
Looking at ourselves honestly will allow us to see what we can discard. Are you ready to let go of behaviors and habits you may have been practicing for a lifetime?
11 Ways to Improve Our Outlook on Life
1) The Weight of the World Upon Our Shoulders. We can’t change the world by carrying it around, so let’s put it down. Hunching or sloping and rolling our shoulders forward to carry the burden often creates a rounded back, aging us beyond our years. In addition, it compresses the spine and our lovely necks, which can manifest into back pain, headaches, and joint discomfort, to name a few. So let someone else carry that weight.
2) A Scowl or Frown. Who remembers hearing, as a child, wipe that look off your face, or it will stay that way? If you find yourself consistently wearing either, you may unknowingly imprint a permanent look on your face. It is said that at 40 yrs old, you have a look that your Attitude has created. Choosing a smile outshines a frown any day.
3) Looking Down Your Nose. When you look down your nose at someone, your eyes become harsh, sometimes even a bit crossed. It projects an air of judgment, superiority, and disapproval. Letting go of those attitudes allows us to see with an open and accepting mind with a broader point of view, often opening our minds to new and fresh ways of thinking.
4) A Stiff Upper Lip. A tight-lipped response is a mask we wear when we deny our emotions, shoving down our feelings or suppressing our needs and replacing them with an air that all is ok. A rigidity coincides with the lip’s tension that unknowingly tightens the neck and shoulders into the back. Relax the mouth, and the pressure will soon lessen, replace it with the energy of approval.
5) Expectations Others Place Upon Us. Wearing the expectations we have allowed others to place upon us removes us from living our truth. Let those people who put their expectations upon you take them back. Let them actualize them for themselves. Live your life with the choices that are aligned with your higher good.
6) Wearing Disappointments as a plea for sympathy. Holding on to disappointments for too long will restrict our growth. Bad times will pass if we understand that we are holding on to something we cannot change. Living in the past robs us of living in the present. What was cannot be altered, yet we can let go to allow the now to exist.
7) Grudges and Resentment, just like disappointments, limit our growth. These emotions can be toxic to ourselves as well as those around us. Holding on to slights, perceived or otherwise, keeps us chained to that moment that no longer exists.
8) Rose Colored Glasses. Admit it; we have all worn them at one time or another.
Shielding reality by being overly optimistic, naive, or oblivious about a situation is just as detrimental as being negative. Our ability to see exists if we let go of the fear of realistically seeing ourselves.
9) An I Can’t Attitude. Not a great look. When you carry a dark cloud and a defeatist attitude, it contributes to a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure and a lack of success. The slumped profile can contribute to neck, shoulder, and back pain. This Attitude always propels me to ask. “But if you could do it, how would that feel?”
The alternative Can Do Attitude fits all body types.
10) A Know it All Attitude. No one likes a know it all. This Attitude is often a mask for insecurity and concerns about how others perceive us. It can be deeply ingrained in family dynamics, serving as a defense mechanism. However, because it was, it does not mean it needs to continue to be. The energy is destructive to relationships, so best to drop it. Learning to listen is a place to start.
11) Our Super Hero Personas. These have been popular items for years. We thought we could and had to do it all. We can lose the costume; understanding it is not the end of the world to ask for help; is a sign of strength.
It has taken a lifetime to create some physicalities we end up with, but we can shed them immediately once we become aware. It is never too late to let them go. It begins with the courage to look inside at what drives us.
Are you ready to love yourself enough to accept the areas of who you are that need an update? Do you have the courage to make those changes and discard the looks you have grown accustomed to wearing?
What is always attractive is an open heart, an easy smile, a straight back, a flexible approach, a zest for living, and a positive attitude. Wearing these will enhance any lifestyle choice, guaranteed to make you feel on top of the world.
