| Living doesn't really need to be such a battle. As soon | | | | excuses when we merely try. Lying to ourselves |
| as we let go of just a few old thought habits, things | | | | about ourselves and making excuses for ourselves |
| are likely to become a whole lot easier. Here are just a | | | | really isn't the best way to achieve mental balance: |
| few things you can do in order to maintain good | | | | We need to get honest. We either do it or we don't. It |
| mental balance: | | | | really is that simple. The choice is simple: either we act |
| 1. Let Go of the Need to Be Right - Is working | | | | or we don't. Did I mention simple? When we allow |
| ourselves up into a state of needless excitement | | | | ourselves to let go of trying, then we allow ourselves |
| simply because of a need to prove we were right | | | | to begin doing. And doing allows us to move forward |
| anything other than an exercise in frustration and | | | | and grow. Set goals and start achieving them -- go on, |
| futility? If only we had been able to take a small step | | | | just do it! |
| backwards and look at the situation in a calmer, less | | | | 4. Let Go of Mistakes - We can learn from our |
| egotistical manner, then perhaps we might have been | | | | successes and learn from our mistakes too - and then |
| able to see - and to react - a little differently. After all, | | | | we need to move on. Every single experience we |
| what have we really accomplished by always being | | | | ever have contains some kind of lesson - even the |
| right? Does it really bring respect, or does it simply | | | | ones we don't get right - if only we allow ourselves to |
| breed resentment? Simply by giving up the burning | | | | see and learn. Mistakes are there, after all, to be |
| need to be always right, we free ourselves - and | | | | learned from, which is why they're called 'successive |
| others - to get on with the really useful and productive | | | | approximations' in the language of psychology. Each |
| things in life. We may play being the know-it-all, but | | | | time we make a mistake it's an opportunity to learn to |
| who really likes a know-it-all? A little inner humility goes | | | | get it right. Dwelling on our mistakes and beating |
| a long way in the mental balance department. | | | | ourselves up for them is a futile pursuit. Take the |
| 2. Let Go of Being Perfect - Understand that being | | | | lesson and move forward. A well balanced self is a |
| excellent does not mean being perfect. Sometimes it's | | | | self that uses and is guided by life's lessons. Such an |
| easy to demand too much of ourselves. If we imagine | | | | attitude leads to a life full of excellence - and mental |
| that we need to be perfect because this means that | | | | balance. |
| we cannot be criticised, then we need to do some | | | | 5. Let Go of the Past - The past is there for a myriad |
| serious work on self-acceptance. Don't waste your | | | | of reasons - to instruct and inform, for example - but it |
| time attempting to make something absolutely perfect. | | | | is not meant to be lived in. To do so robs us of all we |
| It really is far more effective and useful to finish a task | | | | ever really have: Now. When we catch ourselves |
| in a timely manner than it is to spend forever in a futile | | | | continually spending time in the past, then maybe we |
| attempt to be perfect. There really is no point in | | | | need to think about working with a professional who |
| dragging things on forever trying to get it perfect. Do | | | | can help us come to terms with and move on from |
| your very best and then move on. Do this often | | | | the past. Each one of us has a past and each one of |
| enough and your best - and you - will just keep on | | | | us has gone through experiences that were difficult |
| getting better in a natural, progressive and balanced | | | | and unfair. Because of this, each one of us has the |
| manner. | | | | need to forgive. Failure to do this makes us prisoners |
| 3. Let Go of Trying - And start doing. This is where | | | | to the past. And if forgiveness seems just a bit too |
| those advertising people working for Nike were on the | | | | difficult at the moment, at least consider that anger |
| money: What a wonderful slogan! 'Just Do It!' With that | | | | and resentment does not hurt the person or people |
| attitude we pretty much guarantee positive results. | | | | who have hurt us - they just keep us in chains to |
| And, of course, mental balance is all in the attitude. The | | | | them. Letting go of the past usually involves finding a |
| problem with trying, as opposed to doing, is that | | | | way to forgive - and don't forget, this means forgiving |
| whenever we try, we set ourselves up to fail. You | | | | ourselves, too. Do this and we truly will live in a state of |
| didn't try to open this page, you just did it. You didn't try | | | | real mental balance and inner peace. |
| to get out of bed, you just did it. We give ourselves | | | | |