No more excuses
Part of my New Year’s resolution was to embrace my own accountability, into every aspect of my life. Easy to say, harder to accomplish. To try and make some sense of my self imposed challenge, I decided to break it down into three components: Body, Mind and Spirit.
First the body. This one is the easiest, in my estimation. All the old stand bys…. Loose weight, eat healthy, stop smoking, exercise regularly, drink less etc. While not easy, certainly doable, with minimum sacrifice. These are basic behavioral modifications.¬† Studies suggest that one’s behavior can be modified by simply changing one’s behavior for two weeks. In most cases, the new behavior replaces the old.
Now the most difficult component for me personally is the Mind. To fully embrace accountability of ones thoughts, you have to leave your ” comfort zone “¬† and expose your weaknesses. Scary!! First and foremost, I have to truly check my ego. The ego is one of many¬† defense mechanisms, meant to protect our ” comfort zone ” and hide our weaknesses. When threatened, walls immediately fly up and we go on the defensive. I say, before responding in all situations, take a step back, think ” Am I in a defensive or offensive position. When wrong immediately apologize. It’s not easy but you’ll come away with a good feeling.
Always being honest, in all situations. This one is tricky. For goodness sake, if being totally honest hurts someone, a little fib is appropriate. In all situations first think. ” How would I feel if that were me? ” If someone’s going to get hurt, stay silent. My mom always said,” If you can’t say something nice, say nothing.”
And finally, the Spirit. Give of yourself until it hurts. Everywhere you turn their is someone less fortunate, help any way you can. Many times simply acknowledging another who is suffering can make their day. This year let’s ALL strive for Spiritual Growth. These things cannot be done over night but with time and commitment they are not impossible. The worst thing that can happen is your corner of the world got BETTER!!
Spiritus- Breathe of Life. Embrace it!!
Shannon Michael
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