33 Things Life’s Too Short For

Avoid these life-sucking traps

“Life is too short to be little. Man is never so manly as when he feels deeply, acts boldly, and expresses himself with frankness and with fervor.”
Benjamin Disrael

You know the old “life’s too short” cliché? Well, sometimes clichés turn out to be true.

Life is too short. We’ve only got a certain number of years to live and, worst of all, we don’t have any idea how many.

Make sure you’re not falling into any of these life-sucking traps because life’s too short for them.

Life’s too short to:

  1. Stay in a job you don’t like.
  2. Play it safe.
  3. Worry about what other people think.
  4. Stay put and not travel.
  5. Maintain your prejudices.
  6. Be mediocre.
  7. Give up on.
  8. Not spend it with family and friends you love.
  9. Bear a grudge.
  10. Be petty.
  11. Read about things but never do them.
  12. Be mean.
  13. Go on fad diets.
  14. Be indirect.
  15. Wear boring clothes.
  16. Eat junk food.
  17. Hang on to clutter.
  18. Not speak your mind.
  19. Follow the herd.
  20. Try to impress people.
  21. Be grumpy.
  22. Be insincere.
  23. Take too seriously.
  24. Hold on to your fear.
  25. Be stuck in the past.
  26. Daydream away.
  27. Delay doing what’s important to you.
  28. Spend in front of the computer or TV.
  29. Be miserable.
  30. Wish away by living in the future.
  31. Hang on to self-destructive behavior.
  32. Not ask for help when you need it.
  33. Compromise your values.

Is life is too short to stuff a mushroom?

Shirley Conran, author of seventies classic, Superwoman, famously said:
‘Life is too short to stuff a mushroom’.

Trouble is, life’s not too short for eating stuffed mushrooms is it? I think it’s a case of making sure your priorities are right and being true to yourself. What do you think? Have I missed anything off the list?

I wish us all a long life but even if it doesn’t turn out to be as long as we’d liked, at least we can make sure it’s happy and fulfilling. Now let’s go out and have a fabulous day.

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28 Comments

  1. CoralM November 2, 2009 at 3:25 pm - Reply

    Yet another of your comprehensive lists! They are your forte. I love the one about wasting your life in front of a computer. Ha ha!

  2. Annabel Candy November 2, 2009 at 5:32 pm - Reply

    Ha ha indeed – oh, are you talking about me – cheeky:) I tell you I write these things for myself as much as you lot. These screens suck us in, we have to be sure to master them, not be their slave!

  3. Ideas With A Kick November 2, 2009 at 10:06 pm - Reply

    I don’t really like list posts, but his one is inspiring. Makes me realize some of the dumb things I waste my time with. Life is short, even if you’re like me and you want to live up to at least 90 :)

  4. teresa November 2, 2009 at 11:01 pm - Reply

    Great I didn’t get past the first item on the list! haha the challenge is..if you know what you’re doing is not in line with your ideals but you don’t know what else to do…what then? someone help me!

  5. My Life Thinking November 3, 2009 at 7:41 am - Reply

    excellent post, and yeah I agree with you.. Life is too short.. it’s a flash!

    • Annabel Candy November 3, 2009 at 8:57 am - Reply

      Eduard – Sorry you don’t like list posts. I think they’re popular because they’re like a cheat sheet with all the answers right there in front of you. They’re fast to write to but normally I do prefer to write something with more narrative here. I try to mix it up so people (myself included!) don’t get bored of one style.

      Teresa – Sometimes we do have to do jobs we hate if they are a means to an end. For example as a way of saving up money for a big trip. If the answers aren’t coming as quick as you want them to maybe you need to stop thinking, planning and worrying and see how it all pans out. For the best I’m sure!

  6. Eric November 3, 2009 at 10:34 am - Reply

    Great list. 1 through 12 are my favorites. You definately have a knack for these lists. My current top priority is number 8; to spend more time with my family and friends I have to get past number 1 to do it though.

  7. Annabel Candy November 3, 2009 at 11:41 am - Reply

    Eric – Time with friends and family is the one that really should be at the top of everyone’s list but some people don’t prioritize it. Hope you can get your work/life balance sorted out. I don’t think anyone manages to get it right first time. It takes a whole to work out a solution which will keep out bank accounts in the black and our emotional needs fulfilled.

  8. Karol Gajda November 3, 2009 at 1:33 pm - Reply

    Nice list Annabel!

    So many good ones but #2 (Play it safe), #18 (Not speak your mind), and #29 (Be miserable) are my faves. :)

    Karol

  9. Shelley November 3, 2009 at 1:54 pm - Reply

    ooh, challenging list. I am so pleased I love my job. Working on the family :-)

  10. Cecilia November 3, 2009 at 11:19 pm - Reply

    Life is too short to be wearing shorts.Brother Dr. Freud said, wear bikinis , it helps doing the laundry.

  11. teresa November 5, 2009 at 1:34 am - Reply

    Thanks Ani… you are truly an inspiration and I have now appointed you as my fully fledged guru. Are you up for the challenge…are you, are you? ;)

  12. J.D. Meier November 5, 2009 at 9:09 pm - Reply

    Beautiful set of life-sucking traps!

    Life’s way too short to spend your life force on things that suck you dry. I’m a fan of moving onward, and upward, and making things happen … or just chilling and soaking up a great day :)

  13. Dayne | TheHappySelf.com November 6, 2009 at 3:11 am - Reply

    Wow, this is fantastic list. I’m so glad to see this as #1:

    Stay in a job you don’t like.

    Amen to that!

    Thanks for sharing!

    Dayne :)

  14. Jared-Brandentity November 7, 2009 at 2:13 pm - Reply

    GREAT POST! I believe this will be eye opening for most people because they will be able to relate with at least a handful of these 33 contradictions from living a life worth living. Keep on spreading this message because it will induce a paradigm shift for many!!!

    JY

  15. Robby G November 12, 2009 at 2:27 am - Reply

    I’d add life’s too short to keep living in a place you hate. If you love the sun, move somewhere warm. Jobs shouldn’t enslave us to a single location. Loved the post. Cheers.

    • Annabel Candy November 12, 2009 at 6:13 am - Reply

      Ann – It too me and my husband several years to decide where to move to and when. It’s a huge decision and not something you should rush into. Take your time, do the research and plan carefully. Have fun making up your mind and deciding if you need a short break of 6 months to a year or you want to stay forever. We had a brilliant time and I would recommend it to anyone. The only thing we would do differently is to just get flights to Los Angeles and drive to Panama from there. What a trip that would be!

      Robby – Can’t believe I missed my core value. Thanks for mentioning it! I suppose moving to new places is such a part of me I don’t think of it any more. Where you live really defines you and we all deserve to live somewhere we love.

  16. ann mckeown November 12, 2009 at 2:53 am - Reply

    Enjoyed your writing on low-strews ways to move house. I have been researching moves to Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, and most recently, Malta. I have many dreads, such as household and pets, but do want to make a dramatic change within two years. Can’t get going or making a decision. Your article was helpful. There are things I can do now.
    I apprciate your comments on leaving US. Thank you. Ann

  17. Bradley November 12, 2009 at 7:30 am - Reply

    just found your site through your guest post on problogger. have enjoyed what i have been reading so far.

    i decided when my ex-wife left that holding on to clutter was killing my enjoyment of life. i mean i had just gotten rid of the worst piece of clutter… right? it is amazing how freeing it is to just drop off a load of crap at goodwill. makes the house feel bigger too!

    i also decided that i needed to travel more. even if it meant just taking local trips or exploring my home town more. my first big trip was to belize. i fell in love with the country! now planning a trip to some other central american countries.

    now i am trying to start up my own web design business. i dont hate my job per se, but it is going no where fast. might as well spread my wings.

    love your list.

  18. scheng1 November 13, 2009 at 11:26 pm - Reply

    I love to daydream. It’s free to dream and to plant the seed of greatness in a dream

  19. Krishna December 13, 2009 at 9:46 am - Reply

    That’s a really great list Annabel….I am guilty of quite a few of those in one form or another….oops, life is too short to feel guilty!

  20. Emelia Jacaruso April 13, 2010 at 8:39 am - Reply

    You are right on the money with this post, keep up the good work!

  21. 2009 Article Round Up May 14, 2010 at 4:30 pm - Reply

    […] 33 Things Life’s Too Short For […]

  22. Lach December 5, 2010 at 7:55 pm - Reply

    Wholeheartedly agree. Except maybe about daydreaming. Everything in moderation… :)

  23. Deborah Short September 15, 2011 at 9:18 am - Reply

    Life is too short to start framing things

  24. Francisco January 17, 2013 at 8:14 pm - Reply

    I got this web page from my pal who told me about
    this website and at the moment this time I am browsing this web
    site and reading very informative articles here.

  25. Kama April 24, 2013 at 5:33 pm - Reply

    I love this list! A year ago Wayne and I decided life was too short to sit around and wait for life to happen. We packed everything in to storage and off we went. A year later and we are still going, seeing where life takes us. This list sums up how we felt when we left. I love it :)

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