Whether you have already identified the people, places, or things that are sucking the very air you breathe right out of your lungs, we ALL have these forces in our lives that are better left outside of our journeys.

According to the United Nations World Population Prospects, the average life expectancy is 71 years. For those of us who are middle-aged, we have technically lived over half of our lives already. So why would we want to spend our precious days caught up in foolishness or dealing with life-draining situations?

Wrap yourself up in the most powerful blanket of self-love that your heart can conjure up, and do yourself the beautiful favor of subtracting these toxic forces below from your life one by one. What will be left, is a life that is satisfying, fulfilling, and EMPOWERING:

1. A JOB/CAREER THAT NO LONGER MAKES YOU HAPPY

If you hate your job, it will likely be the biggest force sucking the life right out of you. You spend more time at work (8 hours +) than you do with your own family on a daily basis. If the place that gets the majority of your time and energy does nothing to return any positive vibrations in your life, the time has come to do something DIFFERENT.

You may be thinking, "Okay, Jeanette...are you coming to pay my mortgage and light bill?"

(Um...the answer to that is a solid NO, but I'll be happy to send some good financial abundance energy your way to help-smile)

I'm not saying to walk off your job and live under a bridge, but what I AM saying is, just how you were able to get that job, you can also find something to do that actually brings you JOY. You can work on finding that life-GIVING job even before you give up the current one. The more you are pulled in another direction that comes bearing joy and a stress-free lifestyle, the more value will be added to your journey, and the RICHER your days on this earth will become.

2. PEOPLE WHO KILL YOUR JOY

It starts out as a rant about their job, their family, or their friends, but instead of bringing anything good into your life, you end up getting used as a dumping ground for all their problems. They walk away happy and lighter because of it, but you have just taken on all of their issues on TOP of whatever you are dealing with, and they rarely take the time to ask how YOU are doing.

Does this sound familiar? And more importantly, does it even make you feel good?

You might say, "But this person is my family, or my friend, or my co-worker. How do I stop interacting with someone I have to see everyday?"

You don't have to completely diss and dismiss them. Just slowly begin to limit your time with these people. Trust me, once they see they no longer have your ever-sympathetic ear to hear all of their negative feedback about whatever is going on in their lives, they will happily move on to someone else who is willing to listen.

3. DENYING YOURSELF THE PLEASURES OF LIFE

You work hard, every day of your life. You take care of your family, or children, or spouse/partner, or pets, and you do so without a thought of how tired you may be. You lovingly give of yourself all the time, so why not loving give TO YOURSELF?? Delaying gratitude is a HUGE life-sucking force, because since none of us are promised tomorrow, what on earth are you waiting for?

The time to live is NOW, not tomorrow. Not after you've lost the weight. Not after you have achieved a goal. RIGHT NOW. Start small by doing one self-indulgent thing each day. It could be an uninterrupted bubble bath, a massage, a twilight run/walk, seeing a movie of your choice (not what the kids or your husband/partner wants to see). Whatever it is, make sure it's all about YOU and do not allow guilt to creep in. You aren't good to anyone if you aren't good to yourself FIRST because if the life is sucked out of you, who can you help or love?

4. RESENTMENT

Let it go. Move on. Release the negative energy resentment brings. Concentrating on anything with passion for prolonged periods just brings MORE of it into your life. When you resent something, haven't fully forgiven someone, or haven't let go of a situation that brings you pain, you become the conduit of the life-sucking force.

In other words, you become your own vampire.

Your very own THOUGHTS are draining your life force, and this is something you have COMPLETE control over. Decide today to forgive, whether it is a family member, a spouse (or ex spouse), your child, or even YOURSELF. Release those feelings of resentment and make a commitment to yourself to let it go and never come back to pick up that baggage again. It is one of the most delicious forms of FREEDOM you will ever experience

5. ANYTHING THAT DISRUPTS YOUR PEACE OF MIND

You know INSTANTLY when your peace of mind has been hijacked.

You start to feel uneasy, or angry, or anxious, or any other emotion that is not natural to your spirit. People, places, and things that unknowingly (or even knowingly) work to destroy your peace will surely drain the energy from your life experience. Pay close attention to how you FEEL when you are around people and in situations, and make mental notes to identify which instances make you feel good, safe, secure and loved, and which ones delivery the opposite feelings. When you identify the situations that bring a negative affect, begin to work out how these things can either be dealt with in a limited capacity, or eliminated from your life entirely to preserve your precious life force.