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Give up your need to always be right - The need to be right has ended numerous relationships and causes so much unnecessary stress and pain. But being kind is infinitely more rewarding, and if you really, really know you're right, relish in that without rubbing it in other people's faces.

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Give up validation by "likes" - Likes are a virtual currency that have absolutely no value in the real world (unless you’re a digital influencer and you’re getting paid). Counting likes is the fuel of comparison and the antithesis to happiness. Plus no one will remember that post with two likes except for you!

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Give up doing everything on your own - Maybe you want to be a superhero, and maybe you are, but no one asked you to be! People need people, and it doesn’t make you less of a hero if you ask for help—quite the opposite.

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Give up fad diets and cheat meals - Life is too short not to treat yourself to the things you love without labeling them as a failure. Moderation is, as always, key, but don’t deprive yourself of things that make you happy in favor of dangerous fad diets. If you haven't gotten the memo, juice cleanses don't work!

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Give up your need for control - Beneath the piles of schedules, to-do lists, and ceaseless milestones lies the unnerving truth that, at any moment, everything can change. Try as you might, you can never control other people’s actions, and the sooner you make peace with that, the sooner you’ll stop feeling so frustrated.

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Give up trying to "find" yourself - News flash: you’ve always been right where you are, just look down! In all seriousness, “finding yourself” is largely a way to capitalize on things like retreats—which are good, but which avoid the root of the problem: you’re placing your own happiness somewhere outside of you, whereas you only need to look inside.

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Give up trying to be your Pinterest board - Life is what happens when you’re busy failing at that fitted sheet folding method or that meringue recipe, as the saying goes.

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Give up things that you think are “cool” - Drinking your coffee black even though you like a lot of cream and three sugars is not making you any cooler. Neither is ordering a whiskey neat when you really want an appletini.

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Give up used-to-be-good friends - You should never hang onto a friend that you don’t really like or that you’ve grown out of. It’s an injustice to both you and them. Though Facebook would like you to be connected to everyone you've ever met, it’s not healthy to carry the past with you everywhere you go.

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Give up trying to impress everyone - It’s tempting to make everyone like you, but it’s simultaneously impossible and worthless. People will inevitably try to lessen your accomplishments out of envy, plus if you're looking for validation from other people you'll never be content by yourself.

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Give up trying to outdo your ex - While the thought of alerting them of your every achievement is very appealing, it’s also a complete waste of effort that could be put into finding that beauty in yourself that will attract someone new. Plus, your exes are likely already aware of how well you’re doing without you having to prove it.

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Give up on anything being set in stone - If you fixate on the immovability of plans, people, positions, and you don’t leave room for failure, change, or growth, you’re setting yourself up for a huge hit of disappointment when things inevitably do change. Our existence is impermanent, so it makes sense that everything else is too.

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Give up feeling like you have to have an opinion - For some reason everyone these days feels they must have a take on everything, but it’s okay to let things that stray from your own personal beliefs just be. Not passing judgement so quickly also allows you to learn more and allow more positivity in your life.

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Give up blame - It’s easiest to direct blame at others for things you don’t have, but blame is like funneling all your power into an abyss. That power is much more useful when it takes responsibility and ownership of your own life.

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Give up hate-following - Delete anyone you’re friends with or follow online if everything they post makes you bubble and boil inside. While you shouldn’t put yourself in an echo chamber, you shouldn’t contain yourself in a torture chamber either.

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Give up pretending to be happy - Sometimes it’s good not to unload your bad day on everyone you see, but in order for your negative feelings not to fester inside you, don’t stuff them down under fake smiles. Feel all of your feelings!

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Give up FOMO - FOMO is the fear of missing out, and once you give it up, you’ll live life anew. You won’t force yourself to do things you don’t want to, like going to that party or hopping on that business opportunity that doesn’t feel right. You’ll save yourself from feeling spiteful, and potentially hungover.

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Give up self-doubt - If you don’t believe in yourself, who else will? When life is hard enough as it is, don’t add extra obstacles by telling yourself you’re not good enough.

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Give up the constant comparison - Easier said than done, especially in the era of social media, but once you can stop comparing, you can start appreciating. Studies have shown that people who gave up Facebook were less depressed and lonely, proving that seeing your exes getting engaged is completely useless to you. Instead, compare yourself only to your past self.

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Give up your phone, occasionally - Increased screen time has been proven to correlate closely with unhappiness, which you probably already know on some level but likely haven’t done anything about it. You’re not alone.

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Give up uncomfortable clothes - KonMari the heck out of your wardrobe and get rid of those uncomfortable shoes that give you blisters, the sweater that clings weirdly, and those too-small jeans.

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Give up complaining - The majority of happiness lies in your perspective, so if you’re constantly focusing on things that make you feel bad, you won’t be happy. Don’t give people and situations so much power over you!

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Give up labels - For yourself and for others, labels are reductive and only contribute to a closed mind. Rejecting something you don’t understand just because it’s different closes an infinite number of doors for you.

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Give up preconceived notions about your body - You’re allowed to rock any style of clothing, and you can wear whatever you want, as long as it makes you happy. Go tight or androgynous, and don’t listen to anyone who feels the need to share their opinion.

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Give up excuses - Excuses directly hinder personal growth and improvement, as we get stuck lying to ourselves and justifying behavior that we don’t actually want for ourselves. Excuses place you as the victim, when in reality you’re in charge.

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Give up other people’s expectations - Far too many people are living a life that isn’t their own, constantly trying to live up to unrealistic standards set by parents, friends, teachers, enemies, and the government, leaving no time to figure out what actually makes them happy.

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Give up mainstream news - Majority of the news is sensationalized and engineered to attract your attention, and while you're ingesting so much negativity about things that are outside of your control, you're putting a lot of valuable time and energy into feeling bad.

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Give up the past - The hardest of all is letting go of the past. It’s something that feels like it has a tight grip on you, but in actuality the present is the only thing we have. 

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Give up waiting for happiness -

Whether it's in the form of praise or in the feeling of accomplishment that lies ahead, the biggest mistake people make is waiting for happiness to come from something outside of themselves—and only after they achieve something. Every morning, take 10 seconds to decide to be happy. It's that easy!

See also: Chinese New Year 2023: the Year of the Rabbit

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