5 Things to Leave Behind in 2018

5 things to say farewell to in 2018…FOREVER!

1. Goodbye laziness

   • I don’t mean just in terms of movement and exercise, I mean it in terms of something you have the privilege of doing, and choosing not to for no reason other than you “can’t be bothered” or “don’t feel like it”.
   • Want to stop the laziness? Next time you want to go back to bed instead of getting up early to workout, think about the sick in hospital that wish they could be in your exercise shoes…literally. Don’t want to study or go to school? Think about the poor in countries where education isn’t even a choice, or to get to school they must walk for hours. Ordering junk food because you’re too lazy to cook? Remember how many people in the world are starving. Those thoughts will put things in perspective…please don’t wait until you’ve lost your good fortune in order to appreciate it.

2. Ditch the diets

   • So many are motivated at the beginning of the year to go on a diet and loose weight…but by the time February rolls around…you are back to your old ways…and any weight you’ve lost you gain back on a weekend. We’ve all been there…so why do we keep repeating the same process year after year? Isn’t repeating the same thing but expecting a different result the definition of insanity?
   • Diets DO NOT WORK! Don’t kid yourself into thinking it will work for you…while it has failed you in the past and so many other people you know. Thin people do not diet, and if they did they would get fat! Diets make you see food as bad or good, black or white…but life isn’t black or white…it’s grey! Your will power will only last for so long…and then you start to give in to the “bad” foods and instead of eating a small cookie, you have a whole packet!
   • Observe how children and naturally thin people eat….it’’s by intuition…also referred to as mindful eating. They eat when they are hungry and only what they enjoy…they will stop when they are satisfied…and don’t use food to deal with their emotions. This is an extensive subject, and I recommend you read the book Intuitive Eating to learn more. Or watch this TedTalk on how diets don’t work which has Arabic subtitles.

3. Fear of failure

   • I love this acronym for Fear – FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL.Most of the time whatever is holding you back from taking any risk is much bigger in your mind than in reality.
   • Answer this question – what would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? Seriously take a pen and paper now and write it all down. I know there’s no guarantee of success…but isn’t it worth taking that risk in order to live your life to the fullest?

4. Judgement

   • Judging others is like a drug or junk food binge! It makes you feel good momentarily…but later you have an emotional hangover…you feel empty, shameful, guilty…basically awful. We are all guilty of judgement, myself included. And the worse we feel, the more likely we will repeat the process, looking to feel better again. But it’s a false happiness, it won’t last. Realizing that is the first step to stopping the judgement rollercoasteryou are on.
   • When those judgmental thoughts creep into your mind, acknowledge them, and then replace them with either thoughts of love towards that person or forgiveness depending the situation. For example if you are judging someone on social media who is doing something you don’t approve of, feel compassion for them, you have no idea what problems they are facing in their personal life. And if you find yourself judging someone who has hurt you, find it in your heart to forgive them and let it go. You are the one to gain in the end when your heart is filled with peace instead of pain.
   • And finally don’t gossip or talk about anyone behind their back. Knowing you can’t talk about it will help you let go of these negative thoughts about others.

5. Guilt

   • This is a tough one for me. I am writing these words to myself as much as I am to you. My mom has always told me that guilt is a wasteful feeling. It’s always about the past, no longer relevant, why am I carrying that burden on my shoulder into the future? It’s good to take on 100% responsibility for your life but not more than that. There are matters within our control, and if you’ve done your best, and made the decisions with the best intentions at the time, but the results were not what you hoped for, then you need to let go of the result.
   • Commit to letting go of past mistakes and see them as experiences that will enrich your life…and experiments that will create a better outcome in the future.