There is a saying by Aristotle that goes:
Happiness depends upon ourselves
You’ll probably find it hard to believe what you just read, but nothing is truer than this.
Happiness starts within us.
We are the ones who decide to be happy regardless of our situation or be part of that segment of people who connect their happiness to temporary things, people, or emotions.
There are many things we need to do to be happy in life, such as working on our daily habits, improving our self-love and letting go of unnecessary things which hinders this positive emotional state to be part of our life.
And today I wanna focus on that one part, that of letting go of things that weigh us down and cause us more harms than good.
I strongly believe that leading a simple life is the key to have a happy life.
This means eliminating and letting go of things, people, and emotions that do us more harm than good, and prioritizing things that are really important.
There are things that we are used to and that we struggle to leave behind. Even if this were the case, if we truly want to change our lives and be happier, we must take this giant step of letting go and make space for things that really matter.
If you want to know which things are holding you back, read on.
In this post, you are going to discover 18 things to let go of to be happy in life.
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19 Things to let go of to be happy
There are specific things you should let go of to be happy.
These are things that are sometimes taken lightly, but which truly make a difference in our lives.
1) Let go of toxic and unhealthy relationships
The relationships we have influence our happiness positively or negatively.
One of the first things to let go of to be happy is definitely toxic and unhealthy relationships.
These types of relationships have the power to damage your self-esteem and drain your energy.
I have personally noticed that when I am in the company of negative people or people who always find some fault, I feel bad too and I don’t enjoy the moment at all.
Better to be alone than to have certain people next to us.
Instead, try to carefully choose your circle of friends and the people you want to be close to.
They are the ones who will give you a hand in difficult times and fill you with joy in the moments spent together.
2) Let go of the need to compare
Many times it is not others who ruin or destroy our happiness, but ourselves.
And one of the ways we do this is by comparing ourselves with others.
Comparing us to others only lowers us and makes us see only our flaws.
We are who we are, and we cannot be the same as others.
Furthermore, each of us is made differently and has different life paths, so there is no point in making comparisons.
I have seen many people comparing themselves to others, which ended up destroying their happiness and not living well.
The only person to compare yourself to must be yourself.
Improve yourself, and become a better person than yesterday, only in this way, you will be able to live happily.
3) Let go of excuses
In the past, I have always given myself excuses for not being able to do certain things or for fear of failure.
Phrases like: “I don’t have much time for this, it’s too inconvenient, I’ll start it next month when I’m ready, I’m too tired” are excuses I’ve been telling myself for a long time, and that stopped me from reaching my potential.
We all make excuses.
There are many reasons, such as the fear of not making it, the desire to stay in our comfort zone for fear of changes, or because we feel confident in what we know.
But all this does nothing but hold us back from reaching our potential, and from changing our lives for the better.
Instead of making excuses, face your responsibilities and fears, forgive yourself, and learn from your lessons.
Trust me when I tell you that your life will change for the better.
4) Let go of limiting beliefs
Have you ever thought you wanted to achieve something but then gave up because you thought you couldn’t do it?
Well, I want to tell you that if you would have tried, you would definitely have succeeded.
The only thing that stopped you from reaching it was just a limiting belief.
Limiting beliefs are thoughts or states of mind that tell you that you can’t do certain things and that you need to stop.
Nothing is more ridiculous than this, because the truth is, we have the power to achieve what we want in our life if we really want it.
It’s damage we do to ourselves because we don’t believe in ourselves enough.
Whenever you have these thoughts, stop and tell yourself, that if you really want it, you can do it.
I promise you that the only one who can stop you is yourself, so try not to worry too much and go towards your goals.
5) Let go of negative self-talk and self-doubt
Self-love comes in different forms.
One of the most important is to believe in yourself and to speak to yourself in a loving way.
If you want to live happily, you have to love yourself, no ifs or buts.
Sometimes things happen and we can’t control them, and we are immediately ready to talk badly about ourselves and think about what we did wrong.
Or we fail to achieve our goal and we begin to doubt ourselves and wonder if we are really suited for this.
Negative self-talk and self-doubt push our happiness to the bottom because we always have a bit of negativity towards us.
From today, talk to each other like you would your best friend, and treat yourself well.
6) Let go of perfectionism
As much as we want to be perfect or do perfect things, perfection does not exist.
There will always be something or someone that you think is better, but that’s the exact same thing that the person you think is better thinks.
Maybe you dream of a body like a model’s, or you want to have the perfect family you see on social media.
There is no perfect body and there is no perfect family. There is only the best thing for you.
Only God is perfect.
So leave the idea of perfectionism, because you will only waste precious time and your happiness.
When we do something, we have to give our best to do it and put in the effort. The result will be the best.
Allow yourself to make mistakes and focus on the positive.
7) Let go of the expectations of others
Nowadays, what is most important to us are the opinions of others.
Many times we stop ourselves from things we love, only for fear of what others might think, or what they expect from us.
Unfortunately, it has become a common problem. People become doctors just because their family expects it, or show themselves as perfect because others think they are.
But the expectations they place on us are their problems.
If we live according to what they expect, we no longer live a life, but a nightmare, and here we can say goodbye to our happiness.
Let go of the expectations of others and don’t expect anything from others, focus on yourself, be realistic, and understand that there are things we cannot control, so allow disappointment and accept that everyone has flaws.
8) Let go of your regrets
Regrets are one of the things to let go of to be happy, basically because regret is based on sadness and only brings sadness.
Regretting something or someone is a natural feeling that comes when we realize we have done something we didn’t want to do, or for the life choices we have made which then no longer suit us.
Welcome this feeling, because regret is not bad at all, on the contrary, it is what makes us understand that we did something wrong and helps us learn from our mistakes.
The problem is when this becomes a habit. There are many people who spend their lives with regret, and this takes away their vital energy, draining them.
Look at me. There are many things that I regret, but I realized that by continuing to regret them, I would not have changed anything.
I welcomed this feeling and then let it go and decided to use my time more wisely.
This year I want you to let go of regret.
Accept your mistakes, learn from them, move on, and look at the future positively.
9) Let go of the fear of failure
Have you ever held yourself back from doing something, just out of fear of failure?
Well, I did it.
Because of the fear of failure, I postponed so many things and avoided tasks where I was very insecure about the end result, and missed many opportunities to succeed in life.
Failure is a part of everyone’s life experience.
We need failure in order to grow personally.
Imagine if life was all roses and flowers and we succeeded in everything.. don’t you think it would also be boring?
Fear of failure doesn’t make you try new things, new experiences, or leave your comfort zone, and even if it doesn’t seem like it, it’s a weapon against your happiness.
So don’t talk yourself out of trying, instead try, and if you fail, try again.
10) Let go of clutter
Messy space, messy mind. This is what I always tell myself, and this is what I think happens to me.
I know, sometimes we are a little lazy to put something back in its place and it’s easier to throw the papers in the drawer instead of keeping them in a folder.
Keeping everything clean requires a little more work, but the feeling it leaves you with afterward is beautiful, I assure you.
Clutter out everything you don’t need, make a list for each room, and put away any items you haven’t used in the last year.
11) Let go of things you can’t control
There are some external things in life that happen and we can’t do anything about it.
We think a lot about it, we desperately try to change things, but unfortunately, not everything is under our control.
Some examples are:
- what they think about you
- the passing of time
- the past
- the actions of others
This is truly the one thing we cannot change nor should we try.
Learning to accept change and letting go of things you can’t control frees your mind and eliminates stress in your life. You know, it is what it is, and we have to accept it
Furthermore, it is better to focus on the things we can control that can bring something good to our lives and not waste energy on the things we cannot control.
12) Let go of people pleasing
This is definitely one of the things to let go of to be happy.
How many times have you found yourself doing certain things to please people?
The people pleaser problem is very common, especially if you have problems with low self-esteem, a fear of rejection, or a desire for validation.
If you’re used to doing certain things, it’s time to say stop.
This is in fact one of the reasons that destroy your happiness, because obviously you don’t do things that you love for yourself but things that would please people.
To begin, set healthy boundaries and listen to your inner voice. If there’s something you don’t feel like doing, you don’t have to do it.
Always stand up for yourself and be true to yourself without the need to fit other people’s expectations.
13) Let go of things that don’t bring you joy
We only have one life and it is important that we live it properly.
I believe that a life full of things and activities that we don’t love is a boring, stressful, sad, and meaningless life.
On the contrary, a life made up of activities that bring us joy is a life that we want to live to the full.
Always do things you love, and always surround yourself with the people you love.
Let go of things that don’t bring happiness and joy into your life, because a life without cheeriness is a life that is lived only for the sake of it.
You don’t love the people around you? Get away from them.
Don’t you love the job you do? Leave it and find something you’re passionate about.
Don’t you love the studies you’ve undertaken? It’s never too late to change course.
Don’t get stuck in something you don’t like, you have the power to change direction.
14) Let go of the idea of happiness
What is happiness for you? How did you imagine it? What do you need to be happy?
Many times we think that happiness is owning an expensive car, being rich, having many possessions, and a villa that makes people jealous.
In truth, happiness can reside even in the smallest of things.
Having a loving family, being able to study, having a fresh mind and a non-stressful life are all things that can contribute to a person’s happiness.
Don’t think that if you don’t have a certain thing, you will never be happy. Instead, appreciate every moment of your life and be grateful to be where you are right now.
16) Let go of things that no longer serve a purpose
What do things that no longer have a purpose do in our lives? They just take us down.
And by this, I don’t just mean things, but also emotions, people, and thoughts.
It’s a good thing to get rid of all those unnecessities because they drain you mentally and emotionally, take away your energy, and make you feel depressed.
I know that letting go is difficult, especially with things we are attached to or things we have lived with for a long time, but if this means being dissatisfied in life, then it is worth it.
17) Let go of ungratefulness
Do you know that practicing gratitude is one of the most beautiful ways to thank what you have in life?
Some people take it for granted, but what we have are precious things that give us happiness every day.
I don’t want to be harsh, but I want to always remind you that every little thing you have and every life experience you are living is just a dream for another person on the other side of the world.
Let go of ungratefulness. Be grateful for what you have and appreciate every single moment of your life.
18) Let go of the need to get everything immediately
There was a time when I needed to have everything in my hands immediately.
If I didn’t receive something right away or it took time, I got angry and felt like I was losing control of things.
Only when we welcomed our baby dog did I realize that the best things take time.
We were in fact looking for a puppy to adopt, but somehow, all the requests we made were unsuccessful. But we waited and never gave up. Little did I know that my Bebe was on its way to our home.
I thank God for all those times we didn’t get to have a puppy because now I have the best one. God gives us things in His own time, we just have to wait and let go of the need to get things immediately and enjoy the present moment.
19) Let go of the need to hold on to the past
The last but not least important point of the things to let go of to be happy is precisely that of holding on to the past.
I want you to know that the past is the past and that nothing and no one can change it.
So why dwell on what happened instead of moving on with your life and building a better future?
The past is important because it serves as a lesson to us and will always be part of our lives, but holding onto it doesn’t help you live life happily.
In fact, it gives rise to feelings such as sadness, desperation, and regret.
So breathe, forgive yourself, live the present with mindfulness, and leave the past behind. You are here now, you need to focus on the now.
Conclusion
These are the 18 things to let go of to be happy in life.
They are very important if you want a happy life and above all for being in harmony with yourself.
I want you to know that happiness does not happen by chance, but that we must welcome it into our lives by eliminating all the things mentioned above.
I hope this post has been helpful to you, and I hope you can also start thinking about your happiness and let it in your life.
With love,
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