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Resisting change is something all people do in a variety of ways. Some keep themselves in old and broken relationships because they don’t want them to end; others keep broken things in their closets in the hopes of repairing them later; others stay in their old jobs in fear of not finding any better; and others keep their old habits in fear of changing themselves beyond recognition.

However, a routine cleanup of our environment is necessary in order to move on and evolve. It’s definitely not an easy task, but it’s nevertheless necessary. Some of the things we need to reexamine and allow to take their natural course can be habits we no longer like, people we no longer click with, and things we don’t need anymore.

First, it’s not very easy to get rid of old habits, but it’s not impossible. As the saying goes, “old habits die hard,” but if we look at how a habit was formed, we can un-form it. Sometimes, these habits were born of a necessity which is no longer valid; however, because they had been practiced for a long time, they have become difficult to change. The only way to break these habits is by creating new ones and following the 21-day-rule. In brief, the 21-day-rule says that if you do something for 21 days in a row, it becomes a habit. So, to break a habit, practice a more useful one and allow the older one to die out.

Second, getting rid of people may sound a bit harsh, but it’s also necessary. Just like habits, we also get used to people. However, if we truly love them, we may sometimes have to let them go or even force them to. This is especially the case when the relationship with them is bringing misfortune to one or both of the participants. Yes, it may be difficult and it may create bad feelings between the people involved, however, it’s always better to set people free even against their will if we believe that it will make them and us happy in the long run. We also need to make sure that we don’t get too attached to certain people either, especially when our attachment to them is keeping them from evolving and growing.

Third, getting rid of things is the easiest of the lot. Just look around your house and evaluate each item individually. If you haven’t used it in the past year and the chances of using it in the future are very low, either throw it or sell it. By starting with this, you put yourself in the mood of eliminating the extra clutter from your life to allow newer and better things to replace them.

In the end, when you are ready to reshape your life, before starting to learn and change things, look at what needs to be thrown out first. To put yourself in this mood, start by throwing things you don’t need, then look around you at the people you don’t need, and finally reshape your personality through eliminating old habits and creating newer and better ones. Think of yourself like a tree: old branches must be clipped every now and then in order to allow newer and healthier ones to grow.

Originally posted on April 2, 2020 @ 6:11 pm