Negative thoughts are capable of ensnaring the mind. With toxic venom and a curious affinity for destruction, negativity can overturn even the most ambitious soul. And it is your job to set them aside. It’s up to you to rid yourself of these thoughts for good.
And so, with the start of this new year, take a moment to reflect. Look back upon your past. Consider all you’ve accomplished. Think about every goal you have fashioned into being. Ponder the opportunities you yourself crafted into possibility.
The list of these accomplishments is long, as it should be. It should be riddled with chance happenings; full of surprises. Your list should be chock full of intriguing life moments; events that somehow grew into the best experiences you’ve been blessed with to date.
Yet in that list of good, in between the wonderful and thrilling occasions you experienced, there is another list. A negative list of feelings you’ve tucked away. Why? Because they cause unpleasant emotions you wish to forget. This list is comprised of ideas you hoped would stay behind as the clock struck 12 on the new year. But sadly, you are unable to ignore them completely.
These are the feelings you must let go.
These are the notions you must rid yourself of in order to walk fresh into this new year.
It won’t be easy. And no, it definitely will not be quick. Why? Because these feelings have been stuck in the back of your mind far longer than you’d care to admit.
They come out when life drags you down. They make their way to the forefront of your mind when your inspiration is all but lost. They show themselves when your ability to reason with optimism has been stifled by negativity. When you surround yourself with people who promote toxicity rather than positivity, these feelings achieve their full potential.
Make note of these negative notions as you enter the new year. You can rid yourself of them, if only you allow yourself the time and energy to do so.
1. I can always do it tomorrow.
Tomorrow always sounds far more productive than it will truly be.
You say you can put of today’s efforts in order to tend to it better tomorrow. You litter this thought with excuses: you will be fresh, much more rested, and significantly more ambitious. And with these thoughts your mind is entranced, seeped with an optimistic perspective that has no real validity. Your efforts are thus soaked with thoughts of productivity and possibility.
Why should tomorrow get more of you than today?
Why wait to follow your ambition?
Tomorrow is not some fantastical event chock full of all the creative juices you need to begin anew.
You will never reach your ultimate goal if you continuously choose to put things off. If you maintain a belief that tomorrow will serve you better than today, your dreams will never be met; your ambition never achieved.
Now, tomorrow could always be better. Optimistically speaking, it serves you better to believe in a brighter tomorrow. But viewing the future with optimism is significantly different than putting everything off until the next day.
It’s one thing to believe that tomorrow will be a better day. But starting today will ultimately help you land your goals with a much heartier and focused ambition.
Let go of this notion. Stop putting off today’s goals for tomorrow. Make yourself a plan – stick to a schedule, if you must. For tomorrow is not a place complete with all the ambition needed to meet success. Tomorrow will only be as productive as you make it.
Start today. You won’t regret it.
2. It isn’t worth it.
Does it matter to you? Does the desire to complete your first 5k outweigh your thoughts for junk food? Do you wish to get the job you know you deserve before winter ends?
If it matters to you, it’s worth it.
You may be forced to overcome painstaking hurdles. Yet regardless of the near misses and failures you may experience along the way, it’s worth it. If it’s a significant part of your life, then yes – the effort is always worth it.
What another deems important has nothing to do with your path. The life of another is precious, but you must control your journey. Without ambition and a hearty dose of courage, you’ll never get over this negative thought.
All you hope to achieve in life, each dream you’ve held tight to your chest since childhood – these things matter. And they are worth more than you know. They matter more than that naysayer may lead you to believe. They are far more significant than you give credit.
The next time someone tells you what you hope to achieve isn’t worth it – don’t listen. Tend to what is required of you, but don’t forget your own ambition. Don’t let the negative mindset of another win.
If it matters to you, it’s worth it. Always.
3. No one will care if I try or not.
In order to succeed, you must first try.
You may not get it right the first time. In fact, you will likely fail multiple times before succeeding. That doesn’t mean you are somehow less than another. One or two failures doesn’t mean your ability to achieve is somehow lesser in any way. It simply means the task you chose to undertake isn’t easy. Instead, the time it takes to meet this goal will be a bit more difficult than you originally intended.
Don’t fail to try because you feel no one will care.
Your ambitions will never align with that of another. Yet the people you surround yourself with will care that you’ve tried. If you’ve found the right circle, if you have surrounded yourself with a group that promotes positivity and optimism – then yes, they will care that you tried to reach you goals. With all the energy they can muster, they will cheer you on. They will care deeply for your successes and losses. They will dampen the negative thoughts that capture your mind.
And perhaps more importantly, there is one other person who will care if you try or not – you.
You will care if you succeed. You will care if you fail. You will care if you decide to not try because your thoughts were doused with far too much negativity to progress.
Don’t believe the mantra that no one cares whether or not you try. People care.
The best people will empathize far better with someone who fails and tries multiple times than the one who never reached a goal because they felt an attempt wasn’t worth it.
4. Instant gratification is always worth it.
You live in a fast-paced world filled with instant gratification. You enjoy the experiences in life that provide new, exciting opportunities to your fingertips in mere seconds. You experience incidents built from short-term ambitions, underdeveloped goals, and spontaneous plans.
It feels natural to live a life of instantaneous gratification; normal, almost. But it isn’t always as worthwhile as it appears.
What happened to the notion that those who take the slow lane will ultimately meet success? What happened to the idea of stopping to smell the roses, of noticing the little things and not taking for granted the goals that take time to craft?
Tweet ThisWisdom takes time to cultivate. Books require patience, diligence, and a lasting effort to craft. Careers call for growth and ambition, qualities one cannot achieve quickly.
Instant gratification, while intriguing and exciting, isn’t always worth it. The best things in life are those experiences that require time; the goals for which you spent years fine-tuning a solid plan.
Nothing is ever as it seems. Don’t get caught up in this fast-paced world. Allow yourself time to move forward.
5. I’m not significant.
Every single living thing that resides on this green Earth is necessary.
You – yes, you – are significant. Regardless of your occupation, class, country of residence, color, or gender – you matter. And the world needs you. Society needs you to be the person you are meant to be.
You must follow through with your personal ambitions. Consider just how wonderful the world would be if everyone lived up to their own potential. If everyone realized their own significance, consider how much more advanced society would become. Think about your strengths, passions, and ambitions – why wouldn’t the world need you? You are far more necessary than you care to admit.
The world needs thinkers, creatives, athletes, and conversationalists.
The world needs farmers, political minds, tech gurus, and writers.
The world needs tailors, industrial workers, machine makers, educators, and developers.
Don’t think your abilities are outweighed by another – they aren’t. One voice can entice change. But it takes a group to make things happen.
Society needs you. The world needs you. For you are significant. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Relieve Yourself of Negative Thoughts
Push forward into this new year with optimism. Don’t let another sway your ambition. Remember your significance. Don’t wait until tomorrow to complete the work you know you can achieve today.
More people care for you than you know. Remember – the good that can arrive in mere seconds doesn’t stand a chance against the events that take a lifetime to plan.
The world needs you. Don’t let it down.
