What Do You Need to Get Rid Of?

Reverb10 – Prompt #11: What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?*

I struggled to list 11, but I did come up with 8 solid answers below:

• Unproductive Noise – For the past week or so I haven’t watched tv or spent an inordinate amount of time on my laptop. Since I stepped away from electronics I’ve read six books and started journaling again. Without the background noise of emails and Internet access I’ve been able to enjoy the silence of a moment. Last night my husband found me staring at the flames in our fire place. He asked if I was alright, but I was better than alright. I was admiring the sound of the wood crackling and my cat purring beside me. This year I hope to limit the amount of unproductive noise in my life.
• Stuff – I don’t have a lot of stuff in my life, but I’d certainly like to keep the clutter to a minimum. I hope to continue donating and selling unwanted, unused items in an effort to reduce the amount of cleaning and reorganizing I need to do on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. Clutter is like visual noise to me. I’m one of those kids who used to clean her room before completing her homework. I find it difficult to concentrate when things are cluttered and messy, so reducing the amount of stuff in my life helps me clear my brain.
• Unwarranted Concern about my Health – Ever since I fell ill I’ve worried about the status of my health. It’s not healthy to always second guess what my body is capable of and what it can do. I want to stop worrying about not feeling well or experiencing pain. I want to focus on finding solutions for these problems, but not dwell on them on a daily basis. I want to let go of the pent up frustration I feel about doctors and the medical field.
• Negativity – I’d like to try to focus as much as possible on the positive this year. I know that things are not always perfect, but I have a phenomenally good life and I don’t want to spend time focusing on the negative anymore.
• Frustration – I’d like to stop getting frustrated by things I cannot change. I’d like to figure out ways to alter my attitude so that I’m no longer bothered by the trivial things that currently annoy me.
• Unhealthy Food Choices – I don’t have particularly bad eating habits, but I could certainly eat more balanced meals. I’d like to add more fruits and vegetables to my daily routine and find new recipes that incorporate quality ingredients.
• Sadness – I’m not a particularly sad person, but every once in awhile the tears definitely well up. Honestly, I think it’s primarily hormonal, nonetheless I’d like to experience more joy in my life.
• Lack of Activity – I definitely need to make exercise a bigger priority.

*Prompt #11: 11 Things