For my first blog entry EVER, I am choosing to write about something near and dear to my heart—Self Improvement. If you know me, you know that I spent a lot of time in 2010 trying to figure myself out and what makes me tick. This came in the form of a lot of talking to professionals and reading.
One of the biggest lessons I have learned, which didn’t cost me a dime because I read it in a book, is that I am a “discouraged perfectionist”. This is a common trait among first born children. This explains why I have a difficult time finishing projects or sometimes even getting started. I’m afraid to fail, so stopping or not starting allows me to avoid that feeling. Fortunately, as I realized that I am a stereotypical first-born, I learned that I can be the other type of first born that “strives for excellence”. This allows a person to give themselves permission to do the best they can. I am working diligently to adopt that way of first-born thinking because it will be better for my overall mental health and successfulness. And who wouldn’t want to be healthier and more successful?
As I was listening to KLOVE a few weeks ago, the morning show hosts were talking about New Year’s Resolutions and how passé that is now. Instead, the new trend is to make a word resolution. The thought process around this concept is that for something to stick, you must “BE-DO-HAVE”. So if you start with the “HAVE”, which is what a typical resolution is, you’re forgetting the “BE” and “DO”. Check out http://christinekane.com/blog/resolution-revolution-a-better-way-to-start-your-year for more information on this concept.
After much thought, my “BE” is ACCOUNTABLE. I think “accountability” ties in nicely with “striving for excellence”. There have been so many times that I have later thought about something I said, something I did or didn’t do and regretted it.
Over the next 11 months (and forever), some of the things I will be accountable for include:
- My relationship with God
- My relationship with my husband, family and friends
- My Silpada business
- My health (i.e. exercising and dropping the weight I’ve put on in the past year)
- Saving/spending money
- Words that come out of my mouth
- Thoughts in my head
This is a perfect example of how this works: At the present time, I am tempted to eat some pie. I’m at a diner known for its pies and pie might be good. Prior to being “Accountable Ashleigh”, I would have just eaten the pie without thinking about it. I cannot have “treats” every day and think that I’m going to magically lose weight. I am accountable to my health.
I don’t want to jinx myself, but 2011 is already proving to be better than 2010. I think it’s because I have a positive outlook on life and I understand myself better. I am accountable to myself and I’m striving to be the best me.
almost Ashleigh 