The Sayer and the Namer

It's hard to avoid making them. Whether they're conscious or subconscious thoughts, this is the time of year that we want to change things about ourselves. Lose weight. Spend less. Budget more. Give more effort towards a goal. Work smarter. Whatever goal one may have, it seems to come from a negative image of oneself. I'm TOO fat. I'm TOO lazy. I'm NOT good enough. Self-loathing goals are probably not a good thing because they don't come from a good place. Instead, my resolution this year is to be the best version of myself. I'm not necessarily changing anything, I'm just tweaking a few things. Abraham Moslow (the educator's hero for his "hierarchy of needs") said "A musician must make music, a painter must paint, a poet must write if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be."   I love that thought. In order to be at peace with myself, I must be what I can be. Not what someone else can be, or what I think I should be, but what I can be. Can I eat less junk food? yes. Can I look like Heidi Klum? Sadly, no. Could I be a better writer? sure. Could I be Leo Tolstoy? I can dream. If I honestly think about being the person God created me to be, that person would probably look a bit different than the person I am now. In 2009, I want to figure out a little bit more about who that person is, and strive to live like her. 

...all of that to say, "Happy New Year!" I hope this year brings lots of love and hope to you.