The year of losing

Instead of my win and gain mentality of years past, I’ve begrudgingly learned to eliminate habits that needed to be sloughed off– a microdermabrasion for the soul.

Here are 8 habits I’ve eliminated and some I’m still working on. The risk is people actually calling me out when I’m out of line.  Accountability is good, but lest we forget we are all human.

1. PERFECTION: yawn. Perfect is boring, uninteresting and not real. Anything that’s perceived “perfect” is a flaw that’s been masked with loads of makeup and photoshop.  Perfection doesn’t just lurk as a physical monster.  It strives to make marriages, finances and even children be the ideal image our society defines.  It’s a highly hereditary disease and toxic for younger people trying to find their identity in the current social media and cyber world.  I’m embracing (most of) my imperfections and becoming #flawFabulous in 2016.

2. CLOSET CHAOS: yes, I love replying “oh, this old thing? I’ve had this for 10 years!” I’ve come to realize that half of the time they aren’t complimenting because they think it’s fabulous. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe in hanging onto classic pieces that never go out of style: pencil skirts? Check. Trenchcoat? Check. But my Mossimo black flared jeans from Target have got to go.  There’s a reason why the rule of thumb is to rid your closet of anything not worn in the past year. My only problem is I get a little creative too late at night and find ways to wear things I shouldn’t. Try to bring those oldies, not goodies to life. They’re dead-time to bury this.

3. PRIDE: I’m not that important, so I got over myself. Better to eat my own humble pie than have someone else shove it down my throat. There’s nothing more despicable than watching a puffed up ego marching in their own pride parade, and it’s exhausting to keep the impressive show entertaining when it’s all just a show. I figured out that not knowing things is all I need to know. I do know the Bible mentions the word “pride” 87 times and only 6 times in a positive way when it’s rooted in Christ. My pride remains that Christ has used me to communicate His love.

4. LONG WINDED EXPLANATIONS: my good friend recently gave me great advice. “Be succinct.” Very succinctly, she told me in 2 words what I would of said something like: “you know, I’m not trying to be mean or change the way you talk, because I love the person you are.  I’m just saying that sometimes you could get to the point more quickly. Not always. Just sometimes. So please, take this advice into consideration and just know that it’s an opinion. Don’t ever feel like you must be short with me. I like to hear you talk. Just saying that others may need you to get to the point.”  So long, run-on sentences is one of the habits I’ve been working on.

5. INTERRUPTING:  I have a knack at completing one’s sentences because I (think I) know what they’re going to say.  It’s a way of me expressing that I’m listening, connecting, and understanding them. But even if my finishing thought is word-for-word correct, they want to say it. Although my interruption techniques don’t come from a selfish place because I’m not switching the conversation to me. Quite contrary, my intention is to connect and delve deeper into their thought process. But it’s just as rude. And irritating. Succinctly  put, don’t interrupt.

6. SCROLLING: So much time is wasted swiping up to view my entire Instagram. Blog posts and Huffington Post alike snippets of stories on the cover page so you can decipher if the subject topic is worth reading. They know you’re time is precious, and give you the choice to open and scroll by alerting you “FOR MORE, CLICK HERE.” They must not care about “pay-per-click”, so please scroll and keep clicking on my blog.

7. PLANNING:  I spend more time writing to-do lists and scribbling posts ideas than actually DOING them. Planning is opposite than taking action, and in my case, is sucks away time from getting things done. I even waste money and time reading books on time management versus spending that time completing a task.  Unless my husband asks me to plan a budget for 2016, I’m throwing out my post-it notes and immediately doing what needs to be done.

8. RUNNING LATE:  I almost made this list only with 7 things I needed to minimize. But in an effort to be transparent, I must admit I’m the worlds worse at never, I mean never, being on time.  This is definitely at the top of my bad habits list.  It’s not only frustrating for friends waiting solo at restaurants when they’re hopelessly hungry. It’s more stressful for me because I put off jumping in the shower until the last minute. Even when I opt for dry shampoo, I always get distracted by something. Usually scribbling more things on my to-do list. So, yes, I will continue to cut your wait time, patient friends, from 10 minutes down to 5. But I’m not going to overpromise: I will usually not be be the first one there.

So, what habits are YOU going to lose in 2016. Reply in the comment sectionand/or use the hashtag #FlawFabulous when posting your (gasp) unfiltered, make-up free selfie. Love to be devoted readers.

Xo-Whitney