I recently wrote an article that gave several examples of habits that, if you start them, they will change your life. I then started thinking about some habits that will change our lives if we were to stop doing them. Here are some that I came up with:

1. Stop assuming.

Assumption is a murderer. It makes you overthink and unconsider (I made that word up, but it works). It tells you that there's really no more to the story than what you already see when there really is. Instead of assuming, talk to people. Ask them what they're feeling or what they meant by what they did or said. If you can get a hold of this practice, you will feel so liberated.

2. Stop neglecting your gut-feelings.

I'm a firm believer that our intuition is sometimes God-sent, and I can't tell you how many times mine has kept me out of trouble.

3. Stop letting toxic people speak into your life.

4. Stop apologizing for your personality.

If you don't like something about the way that you act or handle things, change it. You are the only person who controls the way that you act; be someone that you're proud of so that you shouldn't have any reason to apologize.

5. Stop expecting little from everyone else.

I once had a conversation with a woman who said, "I don't expect anything from my husband- to take care of our child, to go to work- I don't expect any of that from him because expectation will lead to disappointment. If I don't expect anything from him, he can never disappoint me." I see no happiness in that. I see no pride in the fulfillment of your partner when they do something you expected them to do. One very important thing that I've learned over the years is that people will only do what's expected of them; you expect nothing, they will feel like they have to do nothing.

6. Stop expecting little from yourself.

Again, set the bar high for yourself. You'll be amazed at what you can complete when you purposefully put yourself in front of a task that you never thought you could handle.

7. Stop neglecting to love yourself.

I head a pastor recently say, "You'll never be able to love God or anyone else as much as you love yourself." This spoke volumes to me.

8. Stop having the last word.

When you're in an argument, usually you wanna wrap it up with the most hurtful or prideful thing you can think of. Let them have the last word, and you'll have less to apologize for whenever you're done fighting.