30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself

This post was saved in Tuesday, April 22,2014,eleven months prior to my 30th birthday. I don't remember where I found this article. All I remember was I was looking for the best 30 before 30 lists, something of a reference to my 30 before 30 which never happened,by the way,because you know, procrastinating. Haha! But I guess the timing is perfect. Something to remind us to stop beating ourselves up,to choose to be happy and to have the attitude of gratitude. Exactly how I want my 2016 to be. Here,sit down,sit and take a breather. Read on and learn to be more grateful. Thank you! _______________________________________________________________ I've been going around the internet these past months looking for ideas on things to do before I reach the age of 30. Yeah,I know! I'm gonna be 30 in eleven months! Yikes! lol That's how I came across these articles that really made me realize a lot of things,especially how I value myself and how it affects my relationship towards other people. The timing could not have been perfect for me! And I want you ( yes,you,3 readers of my blog)to read it too. In the middle of the article you will start to think that this was you,but it's important to remember that you are not alone,that the billions of people in the world are also like you at one point or another. And you have a choice.You always have a choice. Choose what's good for you and choose what will make you be a better version of yourself. In verbatim:

30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself. #10 Is An Absolute Must. Marc and Angel, two passionate writers, life-hackers and “admirers of the human spirit,” have come up with an amazing list of 30 things to stop doing to yourself. If you like their list, make sure you check out their site and sign up to their amazing newsletter. #1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot. Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth. And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends. #2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on. No, it won’t be easy. There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them. We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems. That’s not how we’re made. In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall. Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time. This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become. #3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself. Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves. #4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too. Yes, help others; but help yourself too. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now. #5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you. Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you. #6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one. #7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing. Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success. You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did. #8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us. We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come. #9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive. But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions. #10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either. You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else. #11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place. Evaluate situations and take decisive action. You cannot change what you refuse to confront. Making progress involves risk. Period! You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first. #12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first. #13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely. It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company. There’s no need to rush. If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely. #14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you. But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you. #15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others are doing better than you. Concentrate on beating your own records every day. Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only. #16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own. Ask yourself this: “What’s something I have that everyone wants?” #17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you. You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough. But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past. You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation. So smile! Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be. #18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate. Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.” Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself! And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too. If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time. #19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs. #20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway. Just do what you know in your heart is right. #21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly. #22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things. The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you. #23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done. #24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile. Don’t take the easy way out. Do something extraordinary. #25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while. You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well. You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears. The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again. #26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life. #27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out. But making one person smile CAN change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world. So narrow your focus. #28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy. One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time? Three years? Five years?” If not, then it’s not worth worrying about. #29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen. Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story. If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right. #30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing. Credit: marcandangel.com This is such a beautiful list, and we all are guilty of some of these. The best thing to do is just remember each day to appreciate and reflect a bit, even if it's only a few minutes. Share this amazing list by clicking below.

The 2016 Planner

A very generous friend gave this Filed Doodle Planner. I was planning to buy this for my 2016 but she beat me to it. We were just in Fullybooked Ayala Cebu branch waiting for another friend to arrive when she asked me what I want. I can say I was caught offguard because all the while I thought we were there because she was looking for a book. We were in the planner/journal section and she was casually asking me which one's better,weighing on the pros and cons,even asking me what planner belongs to which personality. All of sudden, she asked me to pick what I want. 'Huh?! Palitan ko nimo ani? Mahal man! Paliti nalang ko food! :D "Pagdali og pili kay kung muabot na ang usa di na tika palitan!" Hahaha Oh diba! She told me to make use of the planner,minimize my food intake and watch my expenses. She will read/review this planner when she gets home come December. Antabayanan. . .

High School Never Ends #RoadTo2027

I'm back!!! Two years after and I'm back! I guess blogging is not for me because I don't have extra time to sit and write. All I do nowadays is either sleep or lie in bed and pin and repin. Hello,Pinterest! Lol I am back because I will be posting our 2015 high school get-together. Ironically, this subject was also my last post before I went on a two-year hiatus. I think I love my high school batch so much that I am determined to get back on track with this blogging by starting with this post. Haha! There is nothing much to say about this group. Other than the weight gain and added responsibility brought about by families of their own and careers in their chosen field, everyone is still quite the same. The jokes are still so high school, the stories that have been repeatedly shared gets the same reaction and the laughters and smiles that I remember seeing in the corridors of the LFD and new building.Nothing.This is what I love about high school reunions.It transports you back in time,time when all you need to think about was to be with your friends everywhere,anywhere---bahala grounded the following week! Hahaha

More or less, twenty people came. That is what percent of the 200+ SNC high school batch 2002. Personally, I don't see that as a small number. Yes,it would have been perfect if everyone attended the get-together but it's close to impossible. Some may have previous commitments and others may not like being with us for reasons they only know. We can't control them. We can't manipulate them. All we can do ( this is for those who always make time to attend ) is wait for them to have it in their heart and mind that they are part of this batch and everyone is equal and that we don't gather to brag about how far we've reached in our careers and how many zeroes and commas our bank accounts have, peso or dollar account. Hahaha Seriously, I wish I could knock on their doors one by one, give them a warm hug and beg ask them to come with us. But I'm not like that. I know that they will come when they come when they want to come. Chos!

So to my SNC high school batch 2002,if you come across my almost non-existent blog,thank you! Salamat sa pag attend, pag amot, sa pagdaya nan pagkaon sanan sa naghatag nan kalipay sanan kalingaw. :) To those who haven't been with us,we're looking forward to see you all hopefully this year.

HIGH SCHOOL NEVER ENDS. Love,Leng P.S. Photos courtesy of Master Jen Paler #RoadTo2027 P.P.S. I still chika like I am the batch president,noh? Hahaha Credits to Rizza,our batch president,and her better half Edgar for everything!