{"id":3083,"date":"2026-07-12T11:22:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T16:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/?p=3083"},"modified":"2026-07-12T11:59:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T16:59:19","slug":"do-or-dont","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/12\/do-or-dont\/","title":{"rendered":"Do or Don’t"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last week, I had a haircut. The new stylist cut my hair short. Very short. Much shorter than usual. So short, I almost don\u2019t recognize myself when I look in the mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In looking at childhood pictures, I saw how curly my hair was and wondered if it would curl that much now if not dried with a hairdryer. To my surprise, the curl is still there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Candy as a baby<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Candy with curly hair today<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When I was a child, the beehive hair-do was in style. A woman, who worked at the highway department, had a ridiculously tall beehive \u201cdo.\u201d Her hair was so tall it resembled the bride of Frankenstein. My dad once commented, regarding the woman with the beehive, \u201cThat\u2019s not a hair-do, that\u2019s a hair-don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I haven\u2019t decided yet if my new \u201cdo\u201d is a hair-do or a hair-don\u2019t, but many things in life are obvious \u201cdo\u2019s\u201d while others are major \u201cdon\u2019ts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following are a few thoughts on life\u2019s do\u2019s and don\u2019ts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DON\u2019T:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Envy others\u2014Envying others is a waste of valuable time. You were created for this time and for God\u2019s unique purposes, designed totally for you. Embrace who you are and what God has for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Idolize anyone or anything\u2014Idolizing a person is a dangerous endeavor because humans are flawed. Eventually, the one you idolize will let you down. Idolizing things focuses attention where it doesn\u2019t belong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wish your life away\u2014Many spend so much time wishing for a different life in a different place with different, people they forget to enjoy now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criticize and fault-find\u2014Looking for faults in yourself and others sets a negative tone for everything you do and say. Train yourself to look for positives and refrain from voicing criticism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lie\u2014My grandfather was a wise man. He said, \u201cWhen you tell the truth, you don\u2019t have to remember what you said. If you lie, you have to remember your exact words.\u201d Truth is always a better choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use profanity\u2014Profanity is pointless. It doesn\u2019t make you cool, or wise, or knowledgeable, or effectively emphasize your point. Profanity is a waste of language and often blasphemes your Creator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forget what you\u2019ve learned\u2014Learning life lessons from mistakes enhances forward motion. Learning is a process that builds. Like bricks stacked one upon the other, knowledge and wisdom multiply and strengthen for life\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DO:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Spend time in nature\u2014God created the beauty of nature for our enjoyment. Spending time in nature soothes and brings peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practice patience\u2014We live in an impatient world. We grow accustomed to instant everything, and when something takes longer than expected, we grow impatient and angry. In practicing patience, you slow down life\u2019s pace, learn to accept delays, and wait peacefully for what is next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delay self-gratification\u2014On the heels of patience comes the admonition to delay or deny wants. Delaying self-gratification teaches discipline and helps make a distinction between wants and needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be kind\u2014Recently, I heard a man verbally abuse a server who failed to please him. His response was unkind and much too severe for a delay over which the server had no control. Kindness is a gift, one that should be applied liberally to those around you. Your words, or actions, may be the only kindness a person receives that day, so be kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honor God\u2014We honor God with our bodies by prioritizing sleep and exercise and practicing self-discipline. We also honor God when we give of our time and talents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grow spiritually\u2014Spiritual growth is a discipline many overlook. Yet, spiritual growth feeds all areas of life. Growing spiritually requires time, but so does any other worthwhile pursuit. Decide to make scripture reading and memorization and prayer priorities and you will reap the benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acknowledge blessings\u2014We are blessed in many ways. From the freedoms our country affords to God-given blessings, we have much for which to be grateful. Allow gratitude for blessings to shape and transform your thinking and your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou were taught not to live the way you used to. You must get rid of your old way of life. That\u2019s because it has been made impure by the desire for things that lead you astray. You were taught to be made new in your thinking. You were taught to start living a new life. It is created to be truly good and holy, just as God is\u201d (Ephesians 4:22-24 NIRV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a9CandyArrington<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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New to The Best-Life Project?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Please read these foundational posts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best Life Dream Story<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best-Life Definition<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More from This Author:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Candy Arrington<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Candy with curly hair today<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Candy Arrington is an award-winning writer, blogger, and speaker. She often writes on tough topics with a focus on moving through, and beyond, difficult life circumstances. Candy has written hundreds of articles, stories, and devotions published by numerous outlets including: Inspiration.org, Arisedaily.com, CBN.com, Healthgrades.com, Care.com, Focus on the Family, NextAvenue.org, CountryLiving.com, and Writer\u2019s Digest. Candy\u2019s books include Life on Pause: Learning to Wait Well (Bold Vision Books), When Your Aging Parent Needs Care (Harvest House), and AFTERSHOCK: Help, Hope, and Healing in the Wake of Suicide (B&H Publishing Group).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To receive Candy\u2019s blog, Forward Motion, via email, go to https:\/\/candyarrington.com\/blog\/ and scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, I had a haircut. The new stylist cut my hair short. Very short. Much shorter than usual. So short, I almost don\u2019t recognize myself when I look in the mirror. In looking at childhood pictures, I saw how curly my hair was and wondered if it would curl that much now if not…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":3090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[358],"class_list":["post-3083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transitions","tag-curly-hair"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3083"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3094,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3083\/revisions\/3094"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}