So I was in the shower this morning, you know, where I get all my greatest ideas, and I wondered if maybe I was concentrating too much on what I'm not doing. Maybe I'm not giving myself enough credit for what I am doing.
This is the time of year when we make "New Year's Resolutions." A list of things that we will strive to do in the New Year. This in essence is a good idea, gives us goals for our lives, right? I wonder though if we aren't just setting ourselves up for failure. If you think about it, what you are really saying is, "I wasn't really good at doing (blank) this year, so I am making a promise to do it in the next year."
Some where around 97% of New Year's Resolutions won't be kept...
I think it's time to talk about "goals" for our shared "fishing expedition." The reason resolutions often times don't work is that we don't know how to set goals for what we accomplish. One of the most popular resolutions is "I am going to work out everyday." Nice thought. The gym is packed in January, but by mid-February to March, if you are someone that goes to the gym a lot, you can see the drop off of resolutions being kept. Life gets in the way sometimes. Health, work, kids, etc; we can't always make it to the gym. We get frustrated and give up, where as, maybe if the resolution was, "I am going to work out one to three times a week," we might make our goal and maybe even exceed it some weeks.
We need to measure our progress in smaller intervals and not focus on these large, unattainable resolutions. We need to feel that we can eventually keep moving forward even if we find ourselves stopped dead in our tracks for a few days or weeks.
So, back to my shower...Much of this blog has been trying to find my way to the purpose for my life, but also much of this blog has focused on maybe what I'm not doing. While I may realize what I need to do to get back on the path, I'm not focusing on the productive things I have done...
...Like actually starting a blog...
No...I don't have a book...but I do have a blog. I also do have a book started. I've been singing more this year in addition to, everyone's favorite resolutions, working out. My voice and my body are not in the best shape possible, but I am seeing improvement.
There is a link going around Facebook that I even found emailed to me by my friend Beth. It's a link to a blog entitled "30 Things To Stop Doing To Yourself." If you'd like to read it, you can right here: http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/12/11/30-things-to-stop-doing-to-yourself/ . The blog starts out, "As Maria Robinson once said, 'Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.'" My point today exactly.
None of us really need New Year's Resolutions to start seeking out and acting on the plan for your lives. What's that Nike shoe slogan? "Just Do It!" Remember though that doing it requires a process of tiny attainable goals giving us more success and less frustration on our way to finding the ultimate and most exquisite "Starfish" possible...
...New Year's Resolution: shower more...
...Apparently that's where most of my positive thoughts come from...
Happy New Year and Fishing!
--Red
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