I’ve been on this earth long enough to be able to look back and have regrets about things I wasted time on. I can now see how they didn’t serve me and am amazed at the amount of time lost to them.

We all have time wasters in our lives. Things that hindered us and made us feel bad, while stealing the hours of our days.

Here are a few that I’ve had to work on. Letting go of these is improving my life and can make a difference in yours too.

Unhealthy relationships: I seem to have a strong drive to keep commitments and this has led me to stay in relationships longer then I should, trying to make them work. I once spent years with a man whose values were not aligned with mine. Those years took a lot out of me and there were so many wonderful things I could have done with that time instead.

Worrying about what others think: We all want to feel accepted and a part of that is fitting in. I have felt insecure about my looks, clothing, home, being an introvert and so much more. I often fade into the background in groups, but in the end the right people seek me out when they gain a sense of who I really am. And, that is what matters most, finding people who will value the real me, warts and all .

Comparing: It’s easy to look at the successful lives and perfect personalities other people project out into the world and feel like we are not keeping up. But, when I’ve looked closely, I’ve noticed that they pay a price for those projected images that I don’t want to pay. I am much happier with my quiet, simple life.

Negative fantasies: I can’t tell you how many hours I have spent worrying about things that never happened, but it was probably a good percentage of my life. I’ve also spent time playing out scenarios in my mind that served no purpose other than to upset me.

Dwelling on the wrong things: Each of us has an abundance of negative thoughts and misbeliefs that fill our minds. They come from fear, painful memories, judgements and things that we were programmed with in our early years. I’ve spent years learning how to shift these and focus on what will serve me better. It’s important to remember that our minds are tools, not who we are, and they don’t always tell us the truth.

So, what should you do instead? Focus on these 4 things:

• Being authentically yourself
• The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth
• What you are grateful for
• What is happening in the present, not the past or future

When you stay grounded in those 4 things, you will not only stop wasting precious time, but feel more peaceful and happy with the life you have.

Go ahead. Give them a try. You will be glad you did.

Related Posts:

How to Bring Balance to Your Relationship with Time

How to Tell When It’s Time to End a Friendship or Other Relationship

Be Yourself – Everyone Else is Taken