How to Stop Making Do with Things that Do Not Serve You! (Part 1)

Learn how to let go of the things that hold you back and embrace the ones that empower you.

Have you ever felt stuck in a situation, a relationship, a job, or a habit that does not serve you, does not uplift you and elevate your life? Have you ever settled for less than you deserve, or compromised your values and dreams for the sake of convenience, comfort, or fear? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are not alone. Many of us have been in the same boat, and we know how hard it can be to break free from the things that do not serve us.

But the good news is that you can stop making do with things that do not serve you and start living a life that is aligned with your true self, your purpose, and your happiness. In this blog post, I will share with you some tips and strategies on how to do that, and how to overcome the challenges and obstacles that might come your way. By the end of this post, you will have a clearer idea of what you want, what you need, and what you deserve, and how to go after it with confidence and courage.

Why do we make do with things that do not serve us?

Before we dive into the how, let us first understand the why. Why do we make do with things that do not serve us, and what are the consequences of doing so? There are many possible reasons, but here are some of the most common ones:

We are afraid of change. Change can be scary, especially when it involves leaving behind something familiar, comfortable, or predictable, and venturing into the unknown, the uncertain, or the risky. We might fear losing what we have, or not getting what we want, or failing, or being rejected, or being alone. We might also fear the discomfort, the pain, or the effort that change might require. So, we stay in our comfort zone, even if it is not really comfortable, and we avoid taking the risk, even if it might lead to a better outcome.

We are conditioned by society. Society often imposes certain expectations, norms, and standards on us, and we might feel pressured to conform to them, even if they do not align with our true self, our values, or our goals. We might feel the need to please others, to fit in, to be accepted, or to be successful, according to society's definition of success. We might also compare ourselves to others, and feel inadequate, inferior, or unworthy, if we do not measure up to them. So, we settle for what society tells us we should have, do, or be, even if it does not make us happy.

We are unaware of our true self. Sometimes, we might not even know what we really want, need, or deserve, because we have lost touch with our true self, our inner voice, or our intuition. We might have been influenced by external factors, such as our family, our friends, our culture, our media, or our environment, and we might have adopted their beliefs, values, or opinions, without questioning them, or without listening to our own. We might also have been distracted by the noise, the clutter, or the busyness of our lives, and we might have neglected our self-care, our self-awareness, or our self-expression. So, we accept what is given to us, or what is available to us, even if it does not fulfill us.

Making do with things that do not serve us can have serious consequences for our well-being, our happiness, and our potential. Some of the negative effects are:

We feel unhappy, dissatisfied, or unfulfilled. When we are not living a life that is true to ourselves, our purpose, and our happiness, we are bound to feel a sense of emptiness, frustration, or regret. We might feel that we are missing out on something, or that we are wasting our time, our energy, or our talents, on things that do not matter to us, or that do not bring us joy. We might also feel resentful, angry, or bitter, towards ourselves, or towards others, for the choices we have made, or the choices we have not made.

We experience stress, anxiety, or depression. When we are not living a life that is aligned with our needs, our values, and our goals, we are likely to face a lot of conflict, tension, or pressure, both internally and externally. We might feel torn between what we want and what we have, or between what we feel and what we do, or between what we believe and what we see. We might also feel overwhelmed, helpless, or hopeless, by the challenges, the problems, or the obstacles that we encounter, or that we create for ourselves. We might lose our motivation, our enthusiasm, or our optimism, and we might struggle to cope, to adapt, or to grow.

We compromise our health, our relationships, or our opportunities. When we are not living a life that is supportive of our well-being, our happiness, and our potential, we are putting ourselves at risk of harming our physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual health. We might neglect our self-care, our nutrition, our exercise, our sleep, or our relaxation, and we might suffer from fatigue, illness, pain, or disease. We might also damage our relationships, our communication, our trust, or our intimacy, with ourselves, or with others, and we might experience isolation, loneliness, or conflict. We might also miss out on opportunities, our learning, our growth, or our success, that might come our way, or that we might create for ourselves, if we were more open, more proactive, or more courageous.

To be continued...

With all my heart,

Salima