manifesto; noun, mission statement, proclamation, declaration, announcement
Every since the Whitney Houston news and the onslaught of opinions, I’ve been re-examining my own struggles with change. Most people I know want to change something in their lives, whether it’s physical or material. We are saturated with books, DVDs, programs, pills and more that will help us be “better” – better lovers, dressers, parents, spouses, students, cooks, and so on. But real change, the kind that endures after the two-week regime or thirty-day detox has passed, needs vigilant commitment. Habits and attitudes, good and bad, are connected to the very foundation of our character. Sometimes they’re innocuous, other times they’re like lead paint that’s sat dormant until a big renovation releases the toxicity.
I’m going to start the week easy. One of my ongoing struggles has been with time. I’m just awful at time management. I schedule too many things, I get distracted and sidelined like a five-year old on sugar, I underestimate how long things take to do or how long it takes to get someplace. I’ve struggled with the issue long enough to know it’s rooted in varying psychological factors like being a people pleaser, lacking strong boundaries, resenting my powerlessness with my schedule and wanting more control. If you don’t know what the ailment is how can you find the antidote? I did the work and I made fundamental changes. I finally started to feel like I wasn’t perpetually behind the eight ball. But I’ve been backsliding, I’ve been running late a lot lately. And I’m not getting everything done. Time for a change.
This week my public declaration is to be on time for every scheduled event in my life. I know this actually means keeping commitments balanced and not biting off more than I can chew. It means I cannot be at the beck and call of Neph 1 and Neph 2 – they are double kryptonite to my already anemic no. It requires being more conscious and aware of my choices and actions. These are the key things in effecting lasting change. I encourage anyone who has some habit or attitude you’ve been working on changing to take the challenge with me this week.
Don’t try to change the world, just try to change one way you exist in the world.
2 Comments
Kai · February 16, 2012 at 1:31 PM
This is interesting to read. I am struggling with someone in my life right now who is perpetually late. It drives me loony and very unlike me I have not said anything yet. But you saying a big part of being late is your challenge with saying no helps.
I know I will have to address this soon but it always helps to go in with compassion and a desire to understand why something is happening. Thanks for that.
lesson from the mat « the middle notes · February 16, 2012 at 12:58 AM
[…] crashing into the mat next to yours. And so today as I check on my progress with the monday manifesto: change, I am mindful to be kind with myself. Monday was better than Tuesday, but Tuesday was better […]