Non-New Years Resolutions
This is the season where a great many people make promises to themselves that they don’t keep. To be fair, some people keep them. To be realistic, I think there are about twelve of those people.
My 2009 is off to a good start. That’s not saying a whole lot, because 2007 and 2008 were both kind of appalling at points. I’m not saying that to complain, it’s just as it was.
So instead of making myself some promises that I won’t keep, I’m going to talk a little bit about some changes I’ve made in my life over the past year. These were not promises. These were decisions I made to make myself more happy. In part, you could call them realizations.
I am more honest with myself
Humans are liars. There is no escaping this fact. Our first inclination is to believe what we want to believe, or what we fear to be true. For a lot of people it stops there. For healthier people, there is a period of examination, a search for understanding, and often an internal fight with themselves when they can’t get to a conclusion that fits in with their already held views. There are others that are very good at being honest, but even those often fall into tricks they play on themselves.
I am very introspective. I always have been. Somewhere through my journey in the last year I realized a few things about myself that I either have often denied, or fought against for… well I don’t know for why. I try to be a strong responsible person, and I am. I think the crux of this epiphany was realizing what I hold back and what I hide does not in fact make me any weaker.
I am a hopeless romantic.
I am sensitive.
I love to show off.
I do care what other people think… just not very much.
That’s just a few to whet your whistle. I am nowadays embracing these things in me that have always been true, and I am a stronger and more complete person for doing it.
I am holding back less
If you know me well, you know I can be rather blunt. I put more weight on reality than on tact. Even so, I am generally polite (if challenging) and I am careful.
While staying responsible, I am going with my gut more often. I guess you could say I am trusting myself more. When I have an idea that sounds a little crazy, I’m not dismissing it, I’m exploring it. More often than not I’m finding good ideas. Sometimes they complicate everything, but that doesn’t mean they are not good.
I am keeping in better touch
I’m pretty terrible staying in touch with people. I don’t know what to blame for this one, as I love to talk. I’m making it a point to do better at this.
This one I’m still struggling with. I have friends scattered across the globe now, and the internet makes it possible to keep in touch with them, but it doesn’t give any of us more time. I may struggle with this for a while. I’ve been trying to send at least one email a week to someone I’ve not talked to in a while. It’s working, but I have a long way to go.
Done, and doing
Like I said, I started on these paths in 2008. I’ve already made inroads and I’m a better person. What are you doing? What have you done?
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