9 Ways To Spring Clean All The Toxic Thoughts That Are Holding You Back

1. Care less about what others think.

The minute you allow someone else’s opinions to affect your way of life, is the minute you surrender your ability to be authentically yourself. Your self-expression is one thing in this crazy world that you DO have control over. Be the person YOU want to be, do the things YOU want to do, and conquer the fear of questioning what will happen when you do.

2. Accept that there will be someone better than you.

Once you accept that you won’t always be the best, you’ll be able to become your best-self. You don’t have to be better than everyone else you just have to accept your best for what it is.

3. Know that your best effort will always be enough.

You may not always be THE best, but you can be YOUR best. It inherently feels good to work hard at something that pays off in your favor, but that won’t always be the case. Accept that sometimes even hard work won’t obtain your desired results, but knowing that you did all you possibly could should give you feeling of accomplishment no matter the outcome. Let yourself feel accomplished when you deserve it.

4. Stop crediting your success to luck.

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Whether or not Roman philosopher, Seneca, actually said this, it speaks enormous amounts of truth when it comes to downplaying your success. Your achievements have little to do with luck, and greatly to do with the amount of work and determination you inject into life every day. You earned the amount of success you receive, so be proud of it!

5. Allow yourself to fail.

We often think of success and failure as opposites, but it’s very rare to have one without the other. Failure is on the ingredient list for success; it’s in the recipe. Stir in a quarter cup of failure, one tablespoon of confusion and doubt, a bit of salt and pepper, bake at 450 and voila, you’ve got something that eventually tastes like victory. It’s okay to fail as long as you let failure be the catalyst of growth.

6. Realize that positive affirmations will only work if you believe in them.

You can look in the mirror and proclaim self love 100 times a day, but unless you actually believe in your affirming words, they won’t make you feel any better. Don’t just reiterate positive affirmations, believe them.

7. Let life happen naturally, and not according to a timeline.

Life doesn’t always pan out the way we planned, and benchmarks usually adjust according to everyone else’s life and not our own. It’s okay if you’re not engaged by 26, married by 30, or popping out your first-born before 35. Not everyone’s life will happen in a linear fashion, but when you allow yourself to embrace living in a zig-zag rather than the average straight line, you’ll find it’s a hell of a lot easier to breathe.

8. Be kind to your body.

Everything you put into your body directly impacts how you feel, emotionally and physically, but you shouldn’t only treat your body well in terms of nutrition. Be kind to your body, don’t hate on it like it’s your least favorite political candidate. Not everyone fully loves every part of themselves, and we all have insecurities, but focus on the parts of yourself you do like, whether they’re physical or not. Your body gets you through life each day so show it more love than hate.

9. Spend time with people who give you as much happiness as you give them.

Don’t lend all of your positive energy to someone who doesn’t appreciate it. When it comes to relationships, platonic or romantic, effort should be a balanced scale. You can’t spend all of your time trying to make someone happy if they don’t bring a sufficient amount of happiness to your life in return. Be around people who love you unconditionally instead of people who take your love for granted.