What a wonderful list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier:) We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. We're all guilty of these at some point in our lives.  Let that stop today!  Make today the day you start to give up on all those things that no longer serve you, and you will embrace change and new levels of happiness. Ready? Here we go:
1. Give up your need to always be right
There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong...I know I can name a few people in my life like this lol – wanting to always be right, having the last word, refusing to admit when they are wrong etc. – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?
2. Give up your need for control
Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.  This is something I needed to work on when reading harsh comments people leave on wonderful youtube videos. I would have an extreme urge to put them in their place and tell them to learn some manners, but practice the self control and just let them be. After all it would be an endless pointless conversation in that scenario.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu
3. Give up on blame
 Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.  This changed my life dramatically when I consciously brought this into my life. We always look for excuses, and I have so many people in my life who I love dearly who do this and all I can do is just think to myself if only they could just see things as they are and take control back by not letting others have the power over them and let things be without blame, they'd be so much happier.
4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk
 Oh my...the root of Most self-esteem issues...guilty. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that!  I adopted this concept many years ago, and work on it Daily...it's life changing.
“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle
5. Give up your limiting beliefs
about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!  I have a very open mind, and I live in bliss because of it:)  It opens me up to experience new things, new feelings, new understandings...the moment you think you know it all is when you stop learning.
“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle
6. Give up complaining
 Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. You don't realize how true that is until you sit in a room with someone who will talk your ear off about everything negative going on, compared to sitting in a room with someone sharing how much they love life. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.  One of my longest held coping mechanism that has helped me through tough times is adding a silver lining to Everything. It works! Even if you can't see it right away, know it's there and review it at a later date. Not to say issues should never be addressed...but complaining is a whole new level.
7. Give up the luxury of criticism
Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. This is something that has never been an issue with me, but I do have an issue when others do it.  We are All different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood and accepted. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.  But we shouldn't take those rights away from others by putting them down for their differences...we just shouldn't.
8. Give up your need to impress others
Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take off all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.  Not only that but you will attract the right people into your life. The worst thing you could do is pretend to be something your not, attract those who want that "false you" only to discover they want something you're not...and in that case they're just not a good match for your life. Such a waste of time when you already have so much uniqueness to share! Even if you don't realize it:)
9. Give up your resistance to change
 Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. I'm a Huge believer in change and growth. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.  When choosing a life partner make sure they embrace the fact that you will grow and change in your lifetime, don't let Anyone hold you back from this! You have one life to live on this planet, don't hold back.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell
10. Give up labels
 Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand, as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open.  You will discover the world is so much more interesting when you open your mind up to the strange, weird and incomprehensible...don't judge, experience! We're all Human at the end of the day...at least all humans are:p “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer
11. Give up on your fears
Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.  Use it as a tool...we fear snakes because we think all snakes will bite us, understand them and you can learn to love them. We fear speaking in public because we think people will judge us, but remove that fear and it's no longer an issue holding us back. Look fear in eyes and use it, let it mark your challenges to concur, don't let it hold you back!
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
12. Give up your excuses
Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use.  "I Can't" is really saying I'm not willing to try.  Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.  Believe you can achieve anything you want in your life, and deserve everything you desire and don't make excuses to hold you back from accomplishing them.
13. Give up the past
I know, I know. It’s hard. I struggle with this as well. It goes for the bad things And the good things.  Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have at any given moment. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. Your life could end tomorrow, could you have made today a happier one for yourself?  Replace could with "Should".  Live every day happy and fulfilled, filled with positive energy.  After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.
14. Give up attachment
This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another,  attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.  If you have a favorite object that gets stolen, it may devastate you, but accept the detachment and still love the item, but don't let its location rule your state of mind.
15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations
Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves.  You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.  I did years ago, but today I live each day according to my own expectations, according to what truly makes Me happy as bizarre and odd as actions and thoughts may be to others...and following the 14 previous points listed above this one becomes easier to do!