Change

“It doesn’t take time to change once you understand the problem...Somebody hands you a rattlesnake, it doesn’t take long to drop it, does it?”  ― Richard Bach, One

Ah, good old New Year's resolutions... I can't say I never made any, back in the day when I was weak and didn't understand that EVERY day should bring an opportunity to better ourselves, I probably fell for the trap. Public declaration of our intention to eat better, exercise more, cuss less, go to church more often, etc. Yet by March, maybe April, most of the good intentions are gone like the wind, with little commentary and zero condemnation. Everyone falls off the wagon, so no one holds anyone else accountable. No fun poking at their failure when yours is just as magnificent, eh?


None of this means that we shouldn't try to be better. We all need good health, and good friends. We could all stand to eat better, and drink less. Who exactly are we promising our changes to? We are the masters of our fate, we don't need any reminders that we didn't hit the gym for the third year in a row. We control our destinies, who needs someone hassling them about that pledge to quit smoking? We can surely make ourselves do these things without false promises made on Day One of the year. And if we can't, we're only disappointing ourselves. 

I believe calling out our negative behaviors is the surest way to fail. Instead, we should highlight what we can do, not what we want to stop.

I seriously want to blog every day.
I really want to pick up that guitar I bought last year and play songs I write.
I need to get off my butt and travel.

Positive things. Moving towards who we see ourselves as, not trying to change the bad as much as increasing the good. The rest will come.