What guides me

Inspired by Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project, I created this list of guiding principles as a reminder of how I want to live my daily life. This is an aspirational list; I'm still a work in progress...

Be here now.
In addition to being the title of a beautiful song by Mason Jennings that I listen to frequently, this statement reminds me to not dwell in the past or worry about the future ... experience the moment.

Pay attention to the unfolding beauty, or Find the delight.
Similar to "it's the journey, not the destination" idea. I'm trying not to let an end goal or a distraction keep me from losing sight of the beautiful and amazing and unexpected things happening around me. You can read my post about discovering this important guideline: Rushing the sun

Identify the fear.
Most of my anger, resistance, and impatience stems from fear. When I experience these feelings, I try to find the root fear so I can determine an effective way to either dismiss or address it.

Lighten up.
I very much need to stop taking everything so seriously.

Everyone matters.

They do! My This I Believe statement explains how and why this idea guides me.

Acknowledge things now.

I want to stop waiting, stalling, or not taking time to say or write a thank you, express my concern or joy,  let a friend know I'm thinking of them, address a problem, etc.

Finish what I start.

I'm a great beginner and dreamer of new and exciting things ... and a horrible finisher. That needs to change.

Patience, darlin', patience.

Just so you know, I say this to myself in Matthew McConaughy's southern drawl from Dazed and Confused, the movie in which he shares this sage advice. Most of the time, there is no rush. Most of the time, the schedule I believe to be necessary is not necessary at all. Most of the time, people are not intentionally trying to drive me crazy. Most of the time, I don't need to say impatient things, because more often than not, I will regret saying them.

Reframe the situation.

When I feel frustrated by something or someone, I need to try to imagine it from a different or more positive/thoughtful perspective. David Foster Wallace's commencement speech at Kenyon College elaborates on this point in the most heartbreakingly beautiful way.


Act how I want to feel.
Simple concept, difficult to practice.

Let myself love what I love, and be who I am.

I want to accept my preferences, tendencies, and desires without judgment.

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