- Stop trying to buy happiness.
- Stop being jealous of others.
- Stop wasting your time explaining yourself to others.
- Stop being scared to make a mistake.
- Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments.
- Stop trying to make things perfect.
- Stop focusing on what you don't want to happen.
- Stop being afraid to make a mistake.
- Stop berating yourself for past mistakes.
When you're young, these seemingly overly simplistic life principles can seem insurmountable. It feels totally natural to beat ourselves up, be fearful of trying new things, be too busy to notice the small moments. It's just how our brains are wired, to swim against the currents of emotional health.
When I was younger, self-improvement lists such as this one would really piss me off. They felt so grandiose and righteous and preachy and even outlandish.
But when I got older, oh my. Things improved dramatically! Of course, I didn't attain perfection. I still haven't. But my brain slowed down and things seemed to fall into place.
Nowadays, I'm comfortable in my own, flawed, wrinkled and liver-spotted skin. I can enjoy life and shrug off my blunders. Lists like these seem kind of silly. I don't have to strive to attain emotional health. It's happened. It's a reality. And my foibles, well, they're just part of the package and most of the time I can laugh about them.
Back when I was in my twenties and thirties, I wish someone would have told me, "Grace, it'll get easier!"
If you're in your twenties, thirties or even your forties and reading this. Hang in there. It's going to get easier.
.jpg)
I'm looking forward to my brain slowing down.
ReplyDeleteI saw that list on FB, too. It made me think about how far I've come as I've gotten older! :-) Yes, indeed, we should tell the younger ones that it does get easier.
ReplyDeleteIt really is true!
ReplyDeleteActually I wish my brain had slowed enough to pay attention to a list like this when I was younger...would have saved me so much grief....I am still working on my list and look forward to life getting a bit easier although I tend to let things bother me less and less...I am a bit slow with these things.... ;)
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way, Grace. But I have a feeling a lot of other people "our age" don't, and some younger ones do.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Sherrey Meyer, I have discovered you on Facebook and now here on your blog. In this hurry-up world, how refreshing to read about slowing down the brain pace.
ReplyDeleteNow I am off to search for your book on gardening. My first garden was a 10-acre tomato patch in Pennsylvania, and now it's a small patio garden in Florida.