I feel that way personally.
We are a week into the new year and I haven't yet posted about my plans for 2015, my resolutions for living better, my lofty goals to make this The.Best.Year.Ever... And that's because I don't really have anything. I'm just going with the flow, trusting my intuition and the universe to get things done.
If I have to choose ONE goal for this year, it is to laugh more. It sounds so simple, doesn't it? But when I googled "how to laugh more" there were 38,300 results.
Anyway, it's sort of like my college resolution to "watch more cartoons" or the one after my daughter was born to "be naked at the gym."
You can accomplish a lot with a little goal, but you can't really laugh more until you relax.
I was updating Goodreads and ended up setting an intention to read 50 books in 2015--one book per week with two weeks off for vacation. Totally amazing because just a few years ago I read so infrequently that I set a goal of one book per month.
The books that have ended up in my reading pile so far this year have all been titles that have the potential to make me a better person. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk has taught me more about empathy. Essentialism: the Disciplined Pursuit of Less has taught me why to say no. And Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead is helping me to become shame-resilient.
I had to use some of those techniques this morning. As I was reading a favorite blog, I got sideswiped by something that instantly gave me that hot, uncomfortable "she's talking about me, and not in a good way" shame-feeling. It wasn't a direct attack, but it has been hard to shake all day. Even stumbling upon this nice mention from Jenna hasn't totally been able to make up for it.
When you own the story, you strip it of its power to hurt you. Which is sort of a point of writing this blog. So I'm going to keep doing what I do and keep trying to get better, because that's the other point of this
Here are a few more links I like for living a better year:
- Ten habits to change in order to live longer
- Eleven resolutions to make to enjoy life more
- Four TED talks that help with keeping resolutions
So sorry your feelings got hurt, intentional or otherwise! I too need to read more. I have a couple stacks to get through.
ReplyDeleteIn teh words of the great Taylor Swift...Shake it Off! It stinks to get that knot in your stomach but if someone is talking badly about you surely they are not very happy with themselves/life. And if you want to laugh more read Amy Poehler's book!
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what someone else's opinion of you is. You know who you are, and those around you that love you know as well. Anyone that writes something about you is just being passive-aggressive, and really that's just petty nonsense.
ReplyDelete