Gate Your Goat: The Awareness to Exclude Who Is Stopping You

When looking back on your life and your relationships, do you focus on the negative experiences? Do you focus on the times you resented another person for something happening in your life? Instead of waiting for people in your past to make things right, take the steps to eradicate negative situations. This will help you become a happier, more positive person. By gating your goat, you’re stopping these negative people and negative situations from getting the best of you.

The list of people who either intentionally or unintentionally cause you harm can be co-workers, friends, family, neighbors, children or strangers we encounter on a daily basis. What it boils down to is that the ability to let people harm you comes from you! You decide how anyone is allowed to make you feel, and if you care about what people think, you will always be their prisoner. Remember, you can’t change people, you can only change yourself.

You may be thinking that changing your way of thinking is almost impossible, and that you can’t help when people say and do things that hurt your feelings, but there are tips to follow that ensure the company you keep only lifts you up.

Tips to exclude those who are stopping you:

Accept the reality of those who you make excuses for

You may have a friend who is negative or will always make the worst of any situation; however, you continually make excuses for their poisonous behavior. These toxic people in your life will only serve to bring you down, and you need to recognize these people and shed them.

Break up with certain friends

Sometimes friends have served their purpose and the friendship needs to come to an end. Although it’s hard to say goodbye to a friendship, it’s easier to let it go and put your needs first. Losing a friend hurts, but it hurts even more when a person causes you to lose your focus on what you want and, more importantly, who you are.

Click “unfriend” to become happier

Do you have hundreds of friends on Facebook? It’s actually detrimental to your level of life satisfaction having that many friends that you may not know or keep in touch with. Seeing what those 300+ friends are doing can make you feel like your life is inadequate. Get rid of these “friends” and enjoy your life more…away from a computer!

Build your fence

Now is the time in your life to walk away from all the drama and the people who create it. Put your own needs and considerations first, evaluate your relationships, let go of the negative energy that’s threatening to hold you back. Build your fence and avoid becoming what you loathe. If you’re not careful, you could become the person you hate.

By following these tips, your life can change drastically. Remember to stand by your decisions and know you made them for the right reasons. Don’t let your choices and lifestyle depend on anyone else. Let go of the negativity and resentment held on to and clear out the cancerous people in your life. Life is too short to be anything but happy.

Enjoy the Ride,
Steve Gilliland