I don't do New Year's resolutions because I have no resolve. Ok, maybe a little resolve when I feel like it but I never stick to my resolutions so I have stopped making them. I have been doing something else and maybe you can too if you are like me, resolve-less.
Earlier this year it occurred to me that I am not always the most positive of people. I am generally a positive person but I suffer from low self esteem and that clouds my absent conversations with people. What is an absent conversation? It's the one you have in your head when the people aren't around and you are wondering how your relationship with that person is going. Or when you are reading a text that could go a multitude of ways and you are having an absent conversation to see which way it should go. In those cases, I tend to think negatively and get my feelings hurt when there is usually nothing to get hurt about. So I decided to change. I decided that I would think the best of people in those circumstances and take the time to really consider that person and how they are usually and then lean towards the positive. Let me give you a real example of something that happened. A woman at church asked me a question and I had to make a snap decision (I suck at those) so I asked her if I could think about it and get back to her. She said yes. I thought about it and told her my decision on facebook. She waited about 2 days and then responded. I could have taken her response as negative and that maybe now there is some problem between us that needs to be resolved. But then I stopped. I considered the woman and how she generally acts and how she is as a person and I THOUGHT THE BEST OF HER. And I was right. She was being nice and I was being nice and all was nice because both of us decided to think the best of each other.
I recognized a character flaw and decided to change it. I now think the best of people when I am texting, facebooking, emailing, and conversing with in person. It's been great! I am not worried anymore if someone is hurt at me or did I do something to offend someone or anything else. When I do hurt people, they generally come and tell me and I apologize because 99% of the time I did or said something that hurt their feelings. I am the Queen of putting my foot in my mouth.
So instead of making a resolution you won't stick to, maybe you should consider fixing a character flaw in yourself to make you a more positive and happy you. If you don't know how to recognize your own character flaws, I'm sure the people around you would be happy to give you their input. Usually, once something is recognized, it is much easier to fix. It's like finding out you make fists every time you sing and your friends point this out and then never let you forget it until you stop making fists and then they still bring it up and tease you about it and it is no longer a character flaw but a joke and you are the butt of the joke and
So anyway, fix a flaw! Maybe resolutions aren't for you but fixing flaws are. Maybe you could work on yourself in a different way than going to the gym and eating better. Personally, I plan on living to an old age while eating nachos so I would rather be a much more positive thinker and work on that than going to the gym. Not that going to the gym is bad but there are more ways than one to improve yourself.
What's your flaw? I personally have so many I will never have time to work on them all but I am surrounded by so many loving opinionated people who will always be quick to point them out to me!
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