A Resolution for a New Decade
You may be wondering why every time I write one of these things, I swear I'm going to write more often and yet I never do. Or maybe you're not. What do I know?
Anyway, it just so happens that every time I say that, life starts getting in the way. Either I'm working too much or I've got some big project in the works or I'm just generally stressed out. In any case, every time I make that promise, it's always a couple of months before I get around to writing another entry.
So now I'm thinking, why should I bother making a promise like that at all? Instead of thinking, "Wow, it sucks that I promised everyone I would write sooner and I didn't get around to it until now," what I should be thinking is, "Wow, I wrote a blog! Good for me!"
It's not just writing updates, though. I'm like that with a lot of things. I will set numerous, difficult goals for myself and succumb to self-hatred when I don't finish them, instead of being proud of any progress I've made.
But hey, don't think I don't see you out there, pointing your finger and going, "Yeah, you do do that," all the while denying you don't do the exact same thing. Most of us are at least a little guilty of being too hard on ourselves.
So here's what I'm proposing: A resolution not just for me, but for all of us. Not just for the new year, but for the new decade and beyond. Let's resolve not to set such impossible resolutions, or to beat ourselves over the head when we can't do everything in a day.
So maybe, at the end of the day, our houses aren't spotless, but we did manage to finish up a few rooms. So we haven't found true love, but we did allow ourselves to benefit from the things we learned from relationships that didn't work out. So we didn't become billionaires, but we did do a little better at saving more and spending less. So we don't look like supermodels, but we did manage to eat a little healthier or get out for a run.
The point is, we need to learn to give ourselves credit for our small victories.
By no means am I saying we ought to become complacent. If you're thinking that, because you made your bed, it gives you license to do nothing for the rest of the day, that's going a little far. But if you've been at work all day and still manage to clean your room and do your laundry when you get home, go ahead and pat yourself on the back.
My hope for this resolution is to relieve the world of a little bit of its self-loathing. The message that we get all too often is that, if we aren't perfect, we aren't good enough. I'm here to start the revolution, and to tell you that you don't need to be impossibly perfect to be good enough. As long as you do your best, it will be more than sufficient.
RANDOM THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Why is it that, every time they show a still shot on a documentary, they feel the need to pan in on it slowly? Is it to keep up the illusion that we're watching a movie and not looking at pictures? Because that's stupid.
Anyway, it just so happens that every time I say that, life starts getting in the way. Either I'm working too much or I've got some big project in the works or I'm just generally stressed out. In any case, every time I make that promise, it's always a couple of months before I get around to writing another entry.
So now I'm thinking, why should I bother making a promise like that at all? Instead of thinking, "Wow, it sucks that I promised everyone I would write sooner and I didn't get around to it until now," what I should be thinking is, "Wow, I wrote a blog! Good for me!"
It's not just writing updates, though. I'm like that with a lot of things. I will set numerous, difficult goals for myself and succumb to self-hatred when I don't finish them, instead of being proud of any progress I've made.
But hey, don't think I don't see you out there, pointing your finger and going, "Yeah, you do do that," all the while denying you don't do the exact same thing. Most of us are at least a little guilty of being too hard on ourselves.
So here's what I'm proposing: A resolution not just for me, but for all of us. Not just for the new year, but for the new decade and beyond. Let's resolve not to set such impossible resolutions, or to beat ourselves over the head when we can't do everything in a day.
So maybe, at the end of the day, our houses aren't spotless, but we did manage to finish up a few rooms. So we haven't found true love, but we did allow ourselves to benefit from the things we learned from relationships that didn't work out. So we didn't become billionaires, but we did do a little better at saving more and spending less. So we don't look like supermodels, but we did manage to eat a little healthier or get out for a run.
The point is, we need to learn to give ourselves credit for our small victories.
By no means am I saying we ought to become complacent. If you're thinking that, because you made your bed, it gives you license to do nothing for the rest of the day, that's going a little far. But if you've been at work all day and still manage to clean your room and do your laundry when you get home, go ahead and pat yourself on the back.
My hope for this resolution is to relieve the world of a little bit of its self-loathing. The message that we get all too often is that, if we aren't perfect, we aren't good enough. I'm here to start the revolution, and to tell you that you don't need to be impossibly perfect to be good enough. As long as you do your best, it will be more than sufficient.
RANDOM THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Why is it that, every time they show a still shot on a documentary, they feel the need to pan in on it slowly? Is it to keep up the illusion that we're watching a movie and not looking at pictures? Because that's stupid.