Let it go

For quite a while now I’ve been working on being a nicer, more mindful person. By that I don’t mean saying thank you or being considerate to the people I interact with, as I do that anyway, but rather about monitoring my thoughts about people.

Oh you know exactly what I’m talking about. The thought you have when you look at someone’s outfit and think “Girl, what ARE you wearing? That’s just a terrible outfit!”, or swearing when someone cuts across traffic. That instant judgement of someone whose story you don’t know. We all plead guilty. I certainly am.

What kind of person am I if I am so judgemental? I pride myself on being a feminist, pro-choice, accepting of the spiritual diversity around me, yet does my instant judgement not make me a hypocrite? I’m sure it does, and I’m not proud of it. And it got me thinking.

I may not like someone’s outfit, but they may not like mine. So what. Let it go (Cue Frozen soundtrack, because life’s too short to not have soundtracks). We take things so personally when they’re not about us at all. That guy who cut you off in traffic wasn’t even thinking about you, he was too self-involved in whatever issues he’s dealing with. So I try to not stoop to that level. Take a deep breath and let it go.

The Minimalist movements talk about getting rid of the clutter in one’s lives in order to live more fulfilling lives, as by having less material distractions you are able to focus on more important things that feed your soul and you’ll be happier. I think that also applies to the clutter of the mind, all those negative thoughts clouding about.

I may not be the best at parting with material clutter, but I’m working on getting rid of my mind clutter. I know I will fail at times (I’m awesome, not perfect), but if I can be that small bit better, then that is better than never having tried at all.