Take action!
“Well, duh!”, you might be saying to yourself, but how often have you said you’d do a thing and never did it? Or half-assed something and gave up? Exercising, learning a new skill, quitting a bad habit, having a hard conversation, doing chores, maintaining personal hygiene, reading more, eating better–the list of “I should have’s” and “I’m gonna’s” is longer than a CVS receipt. Like that time you said you'd start a new exercise routine but never did, or when you promised to read more books but ended up watching TV instead. Yet, all of these scenarios have one simple thing in common: they can all be accomplished by taking the first initial step.
Who the fuck do you think you are?
From the second we were expelled from our mother's husk, our indoctrination commenced. Our unsullied, highly plastic brains were taking in every little facial expression from our caregivers, planting deep-rooted seeds that would shape our emotions and perceptions of the world—later dictating how we would form attachments in our adult relationships. Just escaping the womb with good health and strong genetics is a cosmic lottery win. And if we had somewhat attentive, loving parents, maybe a sibling or two, we were off to a better start than most could hope for.
Same ol' new year
Happy New Year! It is time to reflect on the last 365 days and then try to change our lives entirely by the end of the next 365 days. It's a silly tradition of making shallow promises to ourselves that only have the stamina of a month–or two if we're lucky. Going on a diet, exercising, quitting alcohol (for good this time). Maybe you'll start making your bed and doing the dishes regularly. Perhaps you will switch to oat milk to cut out the calories and fat from dairy and, in the process, frustrate and annoy every barista you encounter. The truth is, we could've done these things at any point but chose to wait. We put it off to some arbitrary starting point only to have our newfound motivation crumble by February.
Why I don’t call myself an alcoholic
I used to be a smoker. I smoked a pack a day for roughly ten years. I started buying brands with lower and lower tar and nicotine levels to try to minimize my addiction and the pain I felt in my lungs. The discomfort was especially bad the day after having consumed some speedy narcotic because I would end up smoking twice as much. The last couple of years that I smoked, I hated it. I tried to cut back, but the nicotine and routine of smoking had me chained to cigarettes. I had to have two on the way to work, two or three smoke breaks during work, two more at lunch, and so on. I was always self-conscious about how I smelled and hated the taste it left in my mouth. But despite all the things I disliked about it, I still couldn’t shake it. I thought it would be something I’d have to deal with for the rest of my life.
Living with a Sense of Urgency and Purpose
You live as if you were destined to live forever, no thought of your frailty ever enters your head, of how much time has already gone by you take no heed. You squander time as if you drew from a full and abundant supply, though all the while that day which you bestow on some person or thing is perhaps your last.
Living with Gratitude
Practicing gratitude and awareness of even the most minor pleasures, acts of kindness, and conveniences is grounding. It is the foundation for building a better self and stronger relationships.
