Pruning Your Life

Sometimes you don't realize that you can't grow when you have people, bad habits, and millions of other things holding you back. Everyone has different seasons in their life. We are meant to grow, but sometimes we get stuck in a season longer than we should. When we know it's time for a change, it's time to do some pruning in your life.

I recently had an odd dream. It took me a few days to figure out what it meant. When I did, I felt enlightened. When I was in college, I worked at Blockbuster Music. I truly loved that job! I loved everything about it. I was always happy to go to work for the 5 years that I worked there. I was actually kind of sad when I graduated from college and it was time to move on. Anyway, back to my dream. I kept trying to get to work over and over. I wanted to go. The two people in my life that held me back for a long time were both there making me late, when I had to be at work. I didn't realize what they were doing until I thought about it for a few days. You see, I let myself get stuck a lot longer than I should have. I held on, when I should have moved forward. I could have been growing, but instead I stayed, repeating the same cycle over and over.

Here are some things you might want to consider when pruning your life. This list can be used every 6 months, or so. It might be a good idea to keep a journal. It shows you how far you have come.

Bad Habits
If you know you have a bad habit, and it leaves you feeling guilty, it's time to make a change. I suggest making small changes. For example, you like a midnight snack and also take sleeping aids. First, get rid of one habit completely, before you decide to change something else. Slow and easy wins the race long term.

Respecting No
When people tell you no, respect it. I've had friends that couldn't take no for an answer and over time it began to wear on me. It got to the point that saying no turned into a big anxiety fest. I knew what would come along with the word no. Saying no to a friend should be no big deal. If your friend is repeating the same cycle over and over it's time to do some pruning in your life. Friendships should be fun. Yes, it's normal to sometimes bicker, but if things are on auto repeat it's time to hit the stop button.

Saying No
In today's day and age we often over extend ourselves. We get to the point that we don't want to be anywhere but home. Make a point of under scheduling yourself, so if you feel up to doing something you can be a little more spontaneous.

Making Time For You
When you spend all your time giving to other people you're taking away from yourself. Now, I'm not saying to be selfish. Schedule an hour a day for something that you want to do. No complaining that you don't have the time. If you don't have the time, make it. It's your life and each person has the same amount of hours in the day. Use them wisely.

Learn to Let Go
We all have emotional baggage. Some of us grieve and then let go. Others, dwell on things. When you dwell, it tends to make things much bigger than they actually are. If you have the same scenario playing over and over in your head, it's time to let it go. You can even write it on a piece of paper and bury it. You can do this as many times as you need to.


What do you want to prune in your life?