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In the whole course of my existence, I have met a lot of people who are unhappy with their lives. They carry emotional burdens and darkness, mostly which are products of their own choice.
My friend Sandra has always complained about being stuck in a bad relationship and unfulfilling job. But every time I ask her why she hasn’t broken up with her boyfriend yet or why she hasn’t filed a resignation, she always just shrugs her shoulders and tells me that she doesn’t have any choice.
Well, I don’t buy her crap because I believe that though life is imperfect, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be happy; and that although life is full of circumstances that are beyond your control, you are still its official designer. Nobody but you should run your life.
So, if you’re one of those people who lack joy, do yourself a favor. Don’t just cry in the corner or lock yourself in your room. Instead, figure out what’s causing your sadness, decide to do something about it and always remember to never, ever settle for anything less than you deserve.
Here are four good reasons why you shouldn’t sell yourself short and why you shouldn’t delay going after what makes you happy.
Because You Will Blow Your Chance to Love & Be Loved
Girl, please! Don’t lower your standards trying to accommodate a guy who doesn’t know how to treat you right and doesn’t make enough effort to make you happy. Don’t you think you deserve someone who will serve you breakfast in bed on a weekend, who will always kiss your hand at a red light and who will be proud to wear a matching couple shirt with you? Someone who will make you feel that you’re the most special girl in the world?
It doesn’t mean that you have to be too picky. It just means that you have to learn to refuse to accept what you don’t deserve. If you don’t do this, you will lose your chance to be with someone who’s perfect for you.
Rather than wasting your time on that rebound relationship with someone who just wants casual sex, or who has done nothing but make you realize that you have hit rock bottom, focus your attention on people who support your dreams and who want to see you happy. You deserve much better.
Life offers a lot of possibilities to people who keep their minds open. So, go out there, meet new people and expand your options.
Because It is Important to Love Yourself More Than Anything
What you think of yourself is more important than what others think of you. So, start believing in yourself. Because no matter how good you are in your craft or how skilled you are, nothing will work unless you get rid of your self-doubts and limiting beliefs.
In the piece “3 Lies You May Believe About Your Creative Work,” writer Lyndsay Rush explains how your own excuses hold you back from getting anywhere in life.
You are good enough. So, learn to love yourself by embracing your imperfections and knowing that you’re not obligated to feel good and feel pretty all the time.
Because the Right Thing is Always to Upgrade, Not Downgrade
Always aim to make yourself better because the moment you settle for less than you deserve is the moment you decide to stop growing.
Don’t expect perfection, instead settle for progress. Also, understand that you can never be at your best when you don’t have a goal. So, for example, if you want to look better, you should aim to make constant changes that bring you closer to the look and shape that you want to have.
And to help you achieve a tinier tummy, check this out – “Best Exercises for a Flat Stomach in Under 10 Minutes.”
Because You Have to Make Room for What is Truly Great
To be able to accommodate better things in your life, you have to make some space by letting go of things that don’t serve you. Allow yourself to embrace change and stop worrying about the things that you can’t control.
When you choose to settle for less than you deserve, you are denying yourself the right to enjoy the highest quality of life possible. When you let undeserving people be a part of you and when you keep on doing things that don’t help you grow, you’re not only wasting your time but you’re also blocking the best things from coming your way. So, learn to take risks and stop making excuses to justify your unresolved issues.
According to writer Shannon Kaiser, dwelling on the past version of yourself is one of the things that are keeping you back from being truly happy.
Where you are right now is an important part of your journey. So, instead of staying stuck on your old, useless ways, embrace the changes and focus on the things that will make you feel good right at this very moment.
Ladies, life is too short to settle for anything less than you deserve. The only way to progress is to be open and brave enough to face exciting and new possibilities that life has to offer.
I love the philosophy that we need to let go of the bad and useless stuff to make room for the good things. I never looked at it that way before, but it’s so true because it’s not like we have an endless amount of time and energy for things that serve no good purpose.
What a great article. I believe in all that you’ve mentioned here. I’m lucky I’ve lived most of my life the way I wanted to and I never settled for seconds because I’m worth it.
I found that even letting go of physical things has a huge impact on me mentally. I find that with less clutter, I am less tied to material things, and I only have what is important to me.
Bless yourself. We are so fond of blessing others and offering others nuggets of wisdom that we forget that we also need to replenish ourselves with good books, good workouts and self-care.
You are so right about the fact that we should love ourselves first before anything or anyone else. It is very important to accept and love oneself; otherwise, we can’t find people who will love us.
Don’t ever let a man disrespect or degrade you. Make sure that you show them that you are worth being treated like a lady. We are worth it. If you don’t believe it, they won’t.
We are what we say about ourselves. Instead of saying and thinking about bad things, changing our perspective to be more positive and optimistic allows us to experience more chances in life. Everything else follows that positive attitude.
This reminds me of something I have hanging over my desk at the moment. It says: Simplify. Such a small word but it can have such a huge impact on your life! I am slowly starting to simplify my life and I have to say, it feels amazing.
Plus, you just feel better when you are being positive! There are days I literally have to force a smile on my face, and it takes all that I have to keep my attitude positive, but I look back over my day and realize that it is worth the effort to do that! Mentally, it is worth it!
My mother always told me that if you treat yourself like a two-dollar person, then others will treat you like you’re worth two dollars. I learned that if I wanted people to treat me the way I deserved to be treated, then it always had to start with me. And that meant never settling for less.