I, like you, have been making New Year's resolutions, and this year I am utilizing a bit of a different tactic.
You see, usually, I resolve to DO something -- accomplish something that doesn't exist today, move toward a new idea. Then, I read this quote by Benjamin Franklin:
"Be at war with your vices,
at peace with your neighbors,
and let every new year find you a better person."
It occurred to me: What about accomplishing in regard to moving away from something, stop doing something, use my resources to put to rest habits and tendencies that are counterproductive to me and therefore others?
So, I guess its confession time. On my list of the things that I will not miss (once I stop doing them) are:
1. Snooping -- Come on, you know we all do it. So, if someone uses my computer and leaves their email account open, should I look at it? No. But have I? Yes. Is that cool? No. Do I know better? Yes. So what happens? I get pulled between these two forces.
"No, you don't," says the angel on my right shoulder. "Yes, you do," says the red guy with the pointed tail on my left. It really isn't cool. I resolve to go with the angel.
2. Being Right -- I have found that as soon as I believe I'm right, then someone else is wrong. "Limited thinking: the surest way to never grow," says my dear friend Ana von Hanover, who is also a writer. For me, I find that when I "prefer" and "avoid," my thinking is expanded and others' ideas are invited. I know how excluded I feel when someone says,
"You're wrong." I am grateful that I grew up with the following edict: If someone says, "This is the only way," I run the other way.
3. Eating (too much) Sugar -- OMG -- Is this the devil's weapon of destruction or not? I recently re-discovered a favorite childhood hard candy. I bought a ton of them online and devoured them in prodigious amounts like I did when I was 10. The results were disastrous. I got high. But it was not a fun high. It was an hyper and anxious high, followed by depressing depths, alarming self-doubt and even sore joints. Really? From sugar? Yep. I quickly realized that when I avoid such amounts of sugar, my mind and body thank me through clear thinking and painless movement. But my cravings for these candies are still at my 10-year-old level. So, email me your address for some free hard candy. I'm done.
4. Drinking (too much) alcohol -- Do I drink? Of course I do! Doesn't everybody? For me it started in college, as did smoking cigarettes. Although I gave up cigarettes many years ago, drinking has stayed with me ever since. It was a "no-brainer" to stop smoking. The beneficial effects were that I stopped coughing, food tasted better, and I awakened with a clear head in the morning.
But drinking? It really didn't have ill effects on me, at least that's what I thought until I realized that over the years, I have acquired a tendency to imbibe greater amounts each time I do drink. I have even been told by loved ones that, like most of us when we drink in excess, patience disappears and is replaced by impatience lying just millimeters below the surface. AND, here comes resolution number two again: a demeanor of "being right" emerges! This sucks, so add moving away from those two drinks a day and understand that if I really want to drink -- one is enough, two is not better. BTW, I feel better too.
So, my "away" resolutions are from snooping, being right, eating (too much) sugar and drinking (too much) alcohol.
I have adopted these words by Jim Rohn:
Be strong, but not rude;
Be kind, but not weak;
Be bold, but not bully;
Be humble, but not timid;
Be proud, but not arrogant.
What are your "toward and away" resolutions?
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.