7 Ways To Not Suck At 2015
Gettin’ after it in 2015
As I did last year, when I offered up some tips to improve your 2014, I’m back with another list of things I’m working on and you might want to as well. Your quality of life may well improve and you could end up crushing 2015 instead of being a passive participant waiting for the year to crush you instead.
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
1. Own Your Shit
This is a big one. In fact, I could pretty much write a series of blog posts about how badly society in general needs to do this. Own your shit means taking responsibility for everything you do. The good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s not enough to trumpet your achievements and then act like you’re perfect – because no one is – especially if you’ve screwed up recently. You have to own the bad things, too. Did you treat someone like shit? Own it – apologize and resolve to not do that again. Did you pull a douchebag move in the office? Admit it was a douchebag move. If you only accept the good side of yourself without embracing the bad then you’re completely out of balance. Eventually, you’ll start believing your own hype to the point that you’re living in fantasy world instead of real life. I’ve seen people close to me completely shut themselves off from wanting to hear anything bad, thinking (mistakenly) that it somehow protects them from heart ache or stress. It doesn’t. You’ve got to be able to own what you do, when you do it.
2. Don’t Deflect
This is closely related to point 1 up above. In fact, it’s kind of a subset of #1. People like pretending they’re owning up to something but then they pull this maneuver, “It’s just that…” or “Yeah, but he was the one…” or “I didn’t do anything…” And then they proceed to deflect responsibility onto someone else, when they know full well they were involved and/or partially (or totally) responsible. It’s almost like when someone says to you, “Listen, I don’t mean to insult you…” And then they proceed to insult you. Or the ever classic, “Hey no offense, but…” I’m about to offend you. Stop deflecting and own your share of the shit.
3. Steer Clear of Complainers
Yes, yes, and more yes. Steer clear of these people. Look, I get it: you’ve got a tricky hangnail and your world has turned to shit because of it. Hang-nail-apocalypse is upon you. Right. Tragic.
Gimme a frickin’ break. Everyone – and I mean everyone – has challenges in their lives. But not all of us feel the need to rent a billboard and let the world know about it. For some people, you can’t even ask them how they’re doing without unleashing a torrent of “oh my gawwwwd, my eyebrow is killing me…” Chronic complainers are a fountain of negativity. They spew bad energy into the universe that will overwhelm any attempt on your part to cheer them up. Try complimenting a chronic complainer on something and not only will they NOT thank you for the compliment, they’ll then spend another ten minutes emasculating the precious positive words you just sent their way. After a while, it’s not worth your time or energy trying to help people who won’t be happy unless they have something to bitch about. So the next time you start complaining, think about everything you have to be grateful for that others may not have. This isn’t to say go all unicorns and rainbows because that’s not healthy either, but honestly, your life is probably not all that bad. After all, you’ve got a roof over your head and no one is shooting at you (hopefully). It could always be worse. Remember that.
4. Don’t Be A Black Hole
We all know people like this: all they seem to do is suck off the universe and never, ever give anything back. They’re so focused on themselves, that they fail to see the bigger picture of how we’re all connected. They take good people in their lives for granted, expecting them to always be there…until they’re not. Don’t be one of those clueless, unappreciative types. Remember who your friends are and thank them every once in a while for just being who they are. If you never initiate anything – conversation, text, dialogue of some sort – then is that particular friendship really a 50-50 balanced thing? Probably not. Give to get. Respect and appreciate the wonderful people in your life.
5. Be With Evolved People
It’s pretty simple: you can’t do epic shit with basic people. And I don’t know about you, but I’m here to do epic shit. So I surround myself with people who have soaring spirits, brilliant minds, physically impressive bodies, and great attitudes. I don’t want to talk about my mortgage or the two weeks of vacation I’m taking next year if the firm pays out that bonus. Yawn. Seriously. If that’s you and it makes you happy, then great. But my god, I want to be challenged by everything. I want to explore and seek out adventures. I don’t give a rat’s ass what society thinks of me and what I have planned. That nice neat box that most sheep are content with? Give me a break. I’m on a quest to evolve and elevate myself as much as possible. I’m 45 years old and enjoying life like never before. The last thing I want to do is tie my spirit down by hanging out with middle aged people who think the best years of their lives are behind them and all that lies ahead are a boring retirement, no surprises, and an eventual coffin. Ugh.
6. Don’t Forget to Laugh
Find something stupid or silly to crack up about every single day. Don’t give a damn if something ridiculous makes you laugh. Don’t care what others think. Enjoy a spontaneous explosion of joy and mirth every day and your world will naturally be better because of it.
7. Progression Not Perfection
Aspire to the concept of perfection with the understanding that it will never happen. But demand progression, always. Perfection is the idea of an end goal that you hope to achieve some day in the distant future. Progression is the journey onward and upward that will always bring you closer to achieving that goal. Take steps every day that move you forward. Don’t settle for “good enough,” because it never is. You weren’t put on this planet to be “good enough;” you were born to be amazing and vibrant and to wring every last bit of life out of this place before your journey continues elsewhere. So get after it.
Have a great 2015!
Like this article? Found it useful? Consider using the Cent Up button below to say thanks with a few coins!
