Throughout life, we have to deal with a lot of obstacles and hardship in order to appreciate the good things around us. However, just because life might deal us a difficult hand does not mean we should purposely choose turmoil in order to “learn a lesson”. Smart people know. Life is hard enough without having to deal with certain people or behaviors. That said, we want to go over a few key things you should not tolerate in your life.
Here are things smart people never tolerate:
1. The need for acceptance.
If you want to live a positive life, you need to give up the need to please other people. While you should care about the happiness of your friends and family, remember that you alone cannot make or break their happiness. In other words, you can care about people without needing to bend over backwards to make them happy. If you make a decision that they don’t like, their negative feelings toward that decision are solely their responsibility. Smart people don’t live in the prison of other people’s opinions.
2. Talking down on themselves.
“Be mindful of your self-talk; it’s a conversation with the universe.” – David James Lees
Smart people never engage in negative self-talk, because they know that will only bring them down. If they do have low self-esteem, they consciously work on it and utilize positive thinking in order to change their mindset about themselves.
3. Negative friends.
Just like you don’t want to put yourself down, your friends shouldn’t either. Smart people make sure to eliminate negative people from their lives and don’t allow other people to bring them down. Don’t hesitate to cut people out who only seek to see you suffer. Your friends should lift you up and inspire you, not make you depressed.
4. Staying stuck in life.
“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” – Unknown
Smart people choose to get out of a bad situation instead of playing the victim. While you can’t always just leave a situation, you can make plans to get out or consider your options. This is exactly what smart people do when life presents them with a challenge or when they feel uninspired by their surroundings.
5. The herd mentality.
Smart people also don’t tolerate following the crowd when their heart doesn’t want them to. They listen to their own inner voice to make a decision, not the noise of the outside world.
6. Staying in a job they hate.
Smart people can’t stay in a job that doesn’t satisfy their soul; that just feels like death to them. They would rather struggle for a while doing something they love than spend all their hours in a job that drains them, even if it pays well.
7. Letting their health take a backseat.
Sure, all the responsibilities in life can put a damper on our energy, but that doesn’t mean we should neglect our health. Smart people always make time to take care of themselves, whether that means going to the gym after a long work day or getting up an hour early to make a healthy breakfast before work. It can get tiring, but they know their health is their greatest asset.
8. Letting money control them.
Anyone knows that we need money to survive, but that doesn’t mean you need to let it control your every waking thought. Smart people work with what they’ve got and don’t live outside of their means. They might strive for a higher-paying job or try to start a business, but they still want to live frugally and have a balanced life.
9. Explaining themselves to people who don’t listen.
Not everyone will understand how you think or even try to do so, and that’s fine. Smart people know when to walk away from people who don’t support them or whose soul doesn’t match up with theirs. Not everyone you meet in life is meant to stay, and smart people know this.
10. Being unhappy.
Life is too short to be anything but ridiculously happy, but with all the things we have to deal with, a lot of people forget that. Remember that you are in charge of your own happiness. Smart people let go of anything that no longer serves them so they can usher better things into their life.
11. Being lazy.
Smart people know that they have to work hard at things in order to see results, and even though we live in a very automated society now, we still have to move our bodies and take care of our responsibilities. Smart people still make time to work out, eat healthy, and do whatever they have to in order to improve their lives.
12. Being a doormat.
Simply put, allowing people to walk all over you shows a lack of respect for yourself. Smart people know the difference between being nice and letting people trample all over them. They will show kindness to everyone, but the second others disrespect them, the smart person will put them in their place or walk away if need be.