Today is my birthday. As celebration (besides eating lots of cake) I have decided to give myself a special gift: I am giving up.
That’s right. Giving up.
Don’t bother trying to talk me out of it because my mind is made up.
I’m giving up worrying about what others think of me.
I’m giving up my fear of failure. And my fear of success.
I’m giving up self-doubt, self-criticism, self-consciousness and anything but self-love.
I’m giving up making excuses.
I’m giving up procrastinating. Tomorrow. No, just kidding. I’m giving up procrastinating right now.
I’m giving up competition, envy and jealousy.
I’m giving up being afraid of what the future might bring.
I’m giving up the regrets I have from my past.
Most of all, I’m giving up all of the barriers I have built between me and the life of my dreams.
By giving up I embrace a life lived with abandon, a life fraught with coulds instead of shoulds, a life that is finally, truly lived.
Care to join me?
.
pieces of me 
Happy Birthday & yes, I too have given those up and daily keep giving them up!
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This is when being a quitter is a good thing 😉 Keep up the great work, my friend.
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I reiterate that thought. Carrying around the heavy baggage of the past gets in the way of traveling forward and enjoying the journey. Congratulations & Felicitations!
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Thanks, Jeanene! 🙂
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Happy birthday! Cake! Oh, and giving up too. I like those!
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I am living the dream 😉 Thanks for your good wishes!
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Lovely! Happy Bday!
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Thank you! 🙂
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Happy Birthday Brenda. I wish everyone joins you in giving up negativism and accepting positive things. Stay Blessed!!
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Thank you so much, Anubrat! Many blessings to you as well.
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Here here! Happy Birthday! mine is just two weeks away…
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Happy birthday to you, too then! 🙂
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I love this! Yes, I will join you in my biggest challenge – procrastination!
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Me too! It is just such an easy one to slip into isn’t it? We can do it, Kalison! 😀
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Yay!!!! Happy Birthday! And yes, I’m in!
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I just knew you would be, Katelon! We seem to be traveling the same path ❤ Thanks so much for your kind wishes.
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Happy Birthday 🙂
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Thanks so much, wee birdy 🙂
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Happy Birthday! Today is your second birth, welcome to the new world! 🙂
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Thank you so much. Feels like a bit of a difficult birth, lol… but here I am 😀
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Happy Birthday Brenda Ann!
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Thank you so much, Mary 🙂
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Have a great birthday! And sounds like a wonderful gift to yourself.
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Thanks! Along with the cake, of course 🙂
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Happy birthday Brenda, wishing you a year full of joy, peace and so much love xx
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Thank you so much, Christina! ❤
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Reblogged this on Bobbi's Blog and commented:
Love this — and “yes” I’ll join you!
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Thanks for sharing, Bo! I’m honored 🙂
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Good for you 🙂
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Thanks, Michele 😉
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Many Happy Returns of the Day! Yes, I’m with you! ❤ Happiness and dreams come true!
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Thank you, Barbara! And I wish the same for you, too… every day 🙂
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Happy Birthday sweet lady! I hope your day has been wonderful just like you are. Super things to give up…really good post and I wish you many more birthdays with all the years between them filled with love, happiness, good health and all you need to live comfortably. Thank you for being a blogging friend. Love and hugs!
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Thank you for being such a bright light in my day, Mags. I am so happy that I have met you in this crazy world of cyberspace. ❤
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Hugs!
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Yes I’ll join you. I am making a giving up list.
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Oh that is a great idea! What kinds of things are you putting on it? I may need to expand mine 😀
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Happy Birthday! Yes, I would love to join you 🙂
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Excellent, Kellie! And thank you 🙂
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Happy Birthday Brenda! Stay Blessed.
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Thank you so much Priyanki 🙂
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Happy Birthday. I am so glad I tuned into my WordPress reader. First because I love wishing people Happy Birthday. I have this little fantasy about being a Birthday Fairy who goes around finding people who are alone on their birthday and helps them celebrate. Second because I need to “give up” too. I have made progress, but I’m not fully there – yet. Many more healthy happy swings around the sun. Best Wishes
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Frances you are such a delight. I am so glad that the interweb has woven us together 🙂 Thank you for your happy wishes and lovely words. ❤
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Happy Birthday! I gave up back in September and you realize when you give up, you gain so much more. I make it a habit to reflect and give up even more every month. Giving up or surrendering helps to really focus in on what is really important in your life now and to focus those things towards the future that you really want.
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I believe I will try to give up more and more every day. That is a great way of going through life. Letting go of the things that are holding you back. Thank you for sharing this, friend 🙂
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When people ask me how I’m doing, I tell them, “Good, since I gave up hope.”
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Haha, oh Rob! That is hilarious. Who’s Hope? 😛
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Happy Birthday, Brenda. Giving up the things we can’t control is such a liberation. But i sure hope you don’t give up your blog. You always give the gift of a positive take on this wild and precious life.
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Wow, John! You just made my day! What a kind thing to say 🙂 Thanks so much for being part of it this wild and precious life. ❤
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Amen, truly an awesome attitude. Just go for it and don’t look back.
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Amen is right, Pastor Davis! Thank you for your kind encouragement.
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Thank you for your beautiful thoughts, and happy birthday! I will keep this with me all week, it’s a wonderful goal:)
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Thank you, Ginny! I am writing it out and sticking it on my fridge. It’s good to keep remembering to give that junk up 😉
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Happy Belated Birthday. Great post!!
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Thanks so much, Janet 🙂
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Happy Birth day for yesterday. 🙂
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Thanks 😀 It was a gooder!
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Pingback: I’m Giving Up. I Couldn’t Agree More! | pattytmitchell
Patty, I gave up on my birthday too. I think women finally get to a place where we realize what is important enough to invest our finite time in, and what is not. Happy Birthday Beautiful!
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Lovely thoughts! Thank you, Jan ❤
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Beautiful list,of course I am joining you in this giving up 🙂 and many happy birthday wishes! May all your dreams come true!
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Thanks so very much! Happy to have you join me 🙂
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Wishing you every success. 🙂
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Thank you, Ben. 🙂
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I am giving up too! Thanks for the inspiration! And happy belated birthday! ❤
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Thank you so much, Tiffany! ❤
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Brilliant, I’m giving up with you too ^^ Hope you had a wonderful birthday!
*.* Love, light & determination *.*
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Thank you Miss Sunny Sunshine 🙂 It was a lovely birthday.
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Love this, Brenda Ann! (fellow Aquarian – I am Valentine’s day);) Yes I join you in this venture. And will take it moment by moment… Thanks for the great post!
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Thanks, Maureen! And happy birthday in a week 🙂
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Lovely, thank you, and belated happy birthday!
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Thank you so much 🙂
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Many happy returns on your Birthday.
Count me in. 😊
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Thank you! And I sure will 🙂
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Thanks for following Shaking the Tree and introducing me to your blog. 🙂
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Great to meet you Su. 🙂
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Surely you can delay a bit on the procrastinating …
Having noted that from birth, I have been stuck with me, I have endeavored to find only the good and make the best of it; who wishes perpetual gloom, imposed by reality and the opinions of others? I must admit though, that despite long effort, my wife has not yet signed on to this …
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Jack, sounds like you have the right idea. Everyone has their own path, so I am certain your wife is finding her way 😉
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I love a positive post… happy birthday..!
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Thanks, Dusty…it was a little while ago, but I will take your wishes any day 🙂
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Perfect! I love it! Welcome to the club!
I am on the exact same path.
Thanks for liking my recent post on learningtocry.wordpress.com
Congrats on giving up! My mantra (one of them) is Let go.
With love,
Suzanne
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Perfect! So happy to connect with you, Suzanne 🙂
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Love it.
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❤ Thank you, Babarahs!
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I’ve given up too. And then I give up again. The next day I have to GIVE IT UP!! Then the next day I’ve just totally given up. The next day, I’m floating because I have GIVEN UP!! The day after that, I return to giving it up. Now in my mind, I gave up long ago, but the practice of it seems to be just a part of what a day is about. And that’s just okay by me.
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Keep on giving up 😉 That’s my plan too.
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Freedom…beautiful.
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Thank you ❤
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Happy Birthday to you! You had be going for awhile. Yes, the list you’re “giving up” is just awesome. I would like to join you.
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So happy to have you along for the journey 🙂
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So Awesome! Hope you had a great birthday!
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I sure did! Thanks 😀
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This is awesome! I wonder why we carry around all the heavy baggage for so long before we decide we’ve had enough. Each year, I become a little more me, which is great (even with the gray hair and wrinkles I earn to go along with it!)
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Nothing so freeing as dropping the baggage and walking unencumbered and authentically ourselves. Thanks, Janna. It is so nice to meet a fellow traveler.
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