#Reverb10 is a blogging initiative that provides prompts each day of the 31 days of December with the intent of reflecting on the past year, specifically 2010, and looking forward to what’s to come in the year ahead.
The Prompt
11 Things What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?
1. Hesitation. I need to stop saying no when I should be saying yes, and I need to stop saying yes when I should be saying no. My big problem is that I second-guess myself and hesitate, and it's that hesitation that tends to get me in trouble. I say yes to taking care of everything, but I never stop or draw the line...I just keep going which quickly becomes the fast lane to a burn out. Yes, I can do the laundry and bake my mother's favorite dessert! Yes, I can take care of the various household chores! I'll do the grocery shopping! I can trim the puppy's toenails! I can run into the adoption center and check on the kitties! Yay, I get to design a holiday donation sign! Here comes Santa-Paws and I get to be an elf! I will do an adoption application every week! And I'll still be able to work 50 hours a week...and oh, let's not forget time to sleep!
2. People-Pleasing/Need for Validation. I tend to find myself in this same predicament every so often. I like to make people happy, what's the harm in that right? But I've always been told in so many different ways that trying to make everyone happy is the speedy way to a big failure. So why do I always wind up trying for the same thing? No matter how much we try to change our "bad habits" or even our habits of good intention, we do what feels natural to us. I love seeing people smile and laugh and having a part, even ever so small, in making them happy. I know it's impossible to please everyone, so instead of stopping something that seems to be a part of my nature, I can accept the fact that I cannot please everyone all of the time, and know that it's okay.
3. Bad Attitudes. It seems that no matter what environment I am in, I come across some pretty bad attitudes--in department stores, in the supermarket, on the telephone, in line at the post office. Didn't any of these people get told that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar? Even in the heat of a moment, while someone is yelling and losing his composure, the other person he is screaming at has a choice too to feed into the bad attitude or to be a cucumber. I'm always amazed at how out of hand one person's hard moment or bad day can have a downward impact on each person they come in contact with.
4. Over-Analyzing. This is a huge one. Any time I make a huge mistake I think about it over and over and over again. I hit the rewind and replay buttons in my head so much and think about what possible alternative endings could have been had my choice(s) been different than the actual. I don't have a lot of regret in my life because I know I make choices and once they're made and unchangeable, I tend to accept my decisions and learn from the mistakes. I try not to let myself forget that I made a mistake, how I made it, why I made it, and then what I could always have done differently. But I over-analyze an extraordinary amount--sometimes even when I make good decisions.
5. Stuff. I have so much stuff. I have two closets jam packed full of different clothes, some of which was even bought recently--early Christmas gift. I have so many pairs of shoes that I ran out of space in the bottom of both of the closets and they are hanging in shoe organizers over not just one but over two doors in my house. The thing is that I've actually done so much better since I changed jobs last year when I left my management position in a department store where about once a week on average I was bringing something home--be it socks, a pair of jeans, cute flats, or a beautiful washable silk blouse for $3! Of course that was where I had a terribly bad weakness for an unbelievably good deal. Since I don't work there anymore, I would say that it is very controlled now; however, I still find moments that I indulge into some retail therapy.
6. Unnecessary Buying. This definitely has to do with my "too much stuff" and my need for retail therapy that I could seriously figure out how to do without. And I still find different way to justify and warrant my purchases. Isn't everything in moderation okay? I didn't buy my dog a toy in probably two years, so I bought him two new toys and let me tell you, he was one super happy doggie. It seems like unnecessary spending unless you're a pet lover, like me. I don't shower my pets with things, but they know I love them. They get tasty treats and healthy food and long brushing appointments with the furminator in my living room. The unnecessary spending is on things that still have their tags or are in their original packaging and have been that way for more than a month. Let's not even touch on the things that have been there for over a year in that same state.
7. Not Asking for Help. I've gotten better at this--I truly truly have. But there are still times when I refuse to ask for help because I just know that I can do it better and faster on my own than if someone lent me their hand. I think there's a higher sense of accomplishment if I do it myself from start to finish, although I am learning that while that is true that asking for help doesn't diminish my personal strength...at times it could even raise the value.
8. Drama. I have done a pretty good job in separating myself from a lot of dramatic situations and from people who thrive on their own manifested drama-filled lives. Although, one thing I can definitely say is that when I was forced to listen to most of it, it was quite entertaining. The drama has only been gone for a few months, so here's hoping it stays away--far, far away and continues that path in the new year.
9. Procrastination. When I get overwhelmed I tend to procrastinate because I don't know where to start or what to do first. Taking one thing at a time and one day at a time is a good step in the right direction.
10. Desk Clutter. I spent days re-doing my office, and now I am barely ever in it because every time I have some more paperwork, I toss it on my desk, and then over a couple of weeks, I can't see the top of my desk anymore.
11. Pre-made processed food! There is no need for cookies in the cookie aisle, no need for poptarts, pre-cooked meatballs or sausage... no need for the sausalitos or oatmeal breakfast bars. Natural food is so much better.. cobb salads, golden delicious apples, chicken noodle soup...there's nothing like it. In a can or in a box just isn't the same as when it comes from a pot on the stove or from the oven. It's healthier, yes. But it also has something the boxed and canned versions don't have--being prepared and cooked with love.
