When I was in high school, high school kids could go to dance clubs. You just got a stamp on your hand that told the bartender not to give you alcohol. Many nights, after I finished my evening shift at the library, my friends and I went to a place called Confetti’s. Every night of the year, they did a countdown at midnight and confetti came down while everyone yelled, “HAPPY NEW YEAR!”
I’ve written before about how much I love New Year’s and making resolutions. At New Year’s I make plans to make it the Best Year Ever.
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I’m like most people. It’s mid-January, and not all of my resolutions are working out perfectly… yet. Icy weather ruined this month’s travel plans and hindered us from going out this past weekend. I’m tempted to to tell myself, “Bryn, you’ve gained two pounds in the past two weeks, and you’re spending way too much time on Facebook — just like every other year. You’re not changing.”
But I don’t do that, because I know that transformation takes time. When I plant seeds in the spring, for instance, I don’t go out the very next day, notice the absence of zinnia and sunflower blooms, and say, “This garden sucks!”
We rarely make progress at a perfectly steady pace toward anything. Setbacks are normal — big ones, small ones. It’s when I change my attitude toward setbacks, regarding them as minor obstacles I will overcome rather than final pronouncements of my character or my fate, that real change happens.
Every day is a fresh start. One of the cards from my Hallmark collection is about this:
Every single day is our chance to act like that ideal self we want to be. Regardless of what’s happening in the news — or even in our own lives, barring great tragedy — we can be that person, whoever s/he is. Diligent. Creative. Healthy. Active. Kind. Loving. A badass. Filled with fun and laughter and joie de vivre. A true original.
Imagine today is the day they begin filming your reality show. It’s not based on fake drama, but about how fantastic you are. Everyone’s going to watch it and tell each other how much they just love you and want to be more like you. The cameras are rolling, so ahead and start being that person. Go ahead and start living that way.
The hell with winter blues, and the hell with falling short. In terms of being the person you want to be, yesterday is irrelevant. You create your self and your life right now, from where you are.
You brought back a great memory with the first part of this post – I did the same when I was 17 and in the Army after high school – and then you hammered an excellent point home. Every day is a new day!
Thanks!
Ha! I love it that I brought back a memory, Anne. Thanks for reading!
Very inspiring, Bryn. Thank you!
Thank you, Merry Lu! Thanks for commenting!!
Thanks for the encouraging words Bryn. I love the positive attitude. I agree that in today’s world–one of instant gratification for many things–we tend to expect things to move along quickly. Changing old habits and developing new ones takes time. Have a great day!
Cheryl, thanks for the great response 🙂 And thanks for reading, as always! I hope you’re having a great week!
Mind reader… now you’re in my sitcom and it’s funny, you’re the guru.. Thank You..
Leah … me as a guru made me laugh! Thanks for reading. 🙂
How cool that you had a dance club to go to even though you were under-age, and that they treated every night as New Year’s Eve. Sounds like fun! I’m continually telling myself that today is a new day, and so will tomorrow be. So even if I’m feeling like crap today and really don’t have the concentration for tackling the edits waiting in my inbox, it’s not the end of the world, or of my writing career (a marathon, not a sprint…a marathon, not a sprint…). I’ll take care of myself today and hit the ground running tomorrow and nail those edits! Cheers!
Hi Luanna! That is such a good point. When a day’s not going well, it’s so easy to forget that it’s not a permanent condition. 🙂 And you’re so right about writing careers. It’s more like an ultra-marathon, right? 😀 Hope your edits are going well!
Hello. I loved reading this. I totally agree with everything you said.
BTW your pin from the beta reader post led me to your blog. It was a great read and finding betas is what I’m going through right now. I realized that finding that dream team of beta readers is a lot harder than I thought. I just hope that I don’t run into any toxic ones like the ones you had mentioned.
Perfect timing for this awesome reminder! Thanks! 🙂
Oh, I’m so glad! Thanks for reading, Jennifer 🙂