Saturday, December 29, 2012

Let The Ball Drop

Clearly we've been through this before, another year, ball drops, resolutions being made and then reneged on and then made again... But at what point will we realize that the New Year is made up of 365 new days... and each one grants us the same opportunity to improve, strive, commit, and excel. Yes, there is something a bit more grandiose about making a change at the start of an entirely new calendar but fan fare rarely guarantees commitment lol the bottle popping usually comes after you have won the championship and not before. 

It is quite the daunting task to place the burden of an entire years worth of work on yourself at one time. I have never done anything for a year straight, never; ever... an entire year can feel like an eternity when it comes to fulfilling a commitment or making a change. Why not break it down a little bit; sure we should all set stretch goals so that we may envision the end and work our way backwards but it might serve us well to focus on smaller increments of time, like a day for instance. A day is manageable, 24 hours to commit to excellence, do all that you can with this day and watch what happens to the next. If we took the time to make each and every one of our days a win then the year would take care of itself. Like Will Smith said "you don’t set out to build a perfect wall, no, instead you focus on laying each and every brick as best you can and then the wall will take care of itself." 

I have heard and made New Year’s Resolutions that didn’t last through the night lol, it’s like sometimes we get so caught up in the moment of declaration that we forget about the work it will take to achieve that goal. There is nothing "resolute" about making a statement to appease the pain of the moment, just because you feel like you should and your upset that you haven’t doesn’t mean that from now on you will... Change is not made in such ways, regrets are. 

So with the New Year approaching let’s take the time to adjust our sights, stream line our goals, and really commit to change, just remember that there is nothing in the rules that says you can’t start today.

Friday, December 7, 2012

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"Because I can’t afford to be any other way” This was my response when asked the question, why are you so positive...?  For a long time I shared the attitude of most people when it came to the struggles and daily battles of life.  I felt like a prisoner to circumstances that I thought were out of my control, things go bad or don’t work out and you ask questions like why me, why now, and will it ever get any easier...?  That attitude allows you to believe that life is happening to you, you are just at the mercy of each individual circumstance and there is nothing you can do but endure.  

Life is hard, that is a fact but to allow yourself to feel like a leaf in the wind, being carried and tossed around by circumstance is just weak and foolish.  What I have learned through all my ups and downs is that we have a great deal of control over what this life hands us. Sure there will be moments of discomfort but to allow yourself to fall victim to the day is unacceptable.  Life isn't happening to you, removing yourself from the responsibility of your circumstances is just ridiculous.  When wrong occurs your first action should be to honestly evaluate what YOU did and not list all the things that you believe were out of your control.  Discipline yourself and the world won’t have to do it for you...

In saying all of this, I recognize that something’s do “just” happen but I also recognize that they don’t “just” happen that often.  I choose to be positive and self evaluate, in doing so I have reaped the benefits... Am I where I ultimately want to be? No, but now I know what it will take to get there.  My new saying is "I don’t worry and I don’t whine."  I can say this with confidence because I believe in GOD and I believe in myself, with that I can’t lose.