I'm going to try and keep this short, as I have less than an hour before my Internet curfew of 8:00: For far too long, I have been all about talk and not much about action. On this blog alone, I have rehashed the same stories to make the same points, without actually doing anything to put them into practice. Seriously, how many times have I said, "From now on, I will _____," and proceed to stop doing whatever after only a few days? Frankly, I'm tired of the talking, and I'm ready to take some action. So, here's what I'm going to do from now on, and I expect you, as my friends, to keep me accountable.
1) No more endless defenses of how unique or different I am. I could sit here and tell you about how us originals are thought of as freaks by many people, and use the example of a high school classmate I only knew of--that is, I never spoke a word to her--as an example of how different "different" can be. I could sit here and tell you that I know that my different tendencies have caused me to lose some friends, but that I couldn't care less what they think, and don't even want to hear what they have to say. I could quote Bible verses and use them against unnamed individuals who have apparently made comments about my tastes that I didn't appreciate. I'm not, though, because you've heard it all before. Seriously, I've wasted too much time doing all that, and it hasn't gotten me anywhere; all I've done is exasperated myself and told you what you already knew. Instead of talking about how different I am, I'm just going to be that way. That doesn't mean that I'm going to stop my typical posts--song lyrics, weekly "hauls," entertainment moments, movie/book reviews--etc.; it just means that I'm not going to endlessly defend what I'm doing. If someone does make a disparaging comment--and we all know that someone, somewhere will--then that is on him/her, and it's nothing more than a sign of his/her insecurity and immaturity. Getting upset and venting my frustrations is nothing more than playing into such a person's hands; the only right way to reply is to not say anything to such individual, but to keep doing whatever it is whoever doesn't want me to do. It's just like when my grandmother got her driver's license; when my grandfather said, "You're never going to get it!", she set out to prove him wrong. It's the same with me; when someone tells me I shouldn't be reading, watching, or listening to whatever because I'm too old or it's too "girly," I should just do it anyway, not waste my time addressing such ridiculous comments. In my review of the horrible movie The Clique, I began my thoughts by saying, "I'm not even sure if I should dignify this movie by reviewing it." It's the same with unfortunate individuals' comments; they really don't even deserve a response.
2) No more wondering why I don't have what others have. Throughout my life, I have tended to have an, "I want, I want, I want!" mentality. Even when I didn't know someone else who had something, simply seeing it in a catalog or on a commercial made me want it fervently. Thankfully, my mom was smart enough to know that I didn't really want everything I thought I wanted, and didn't waste her money on silly little trifles for which I had no need. Though I rarely look at catalogs or watch commercials on TV anymore--and, even when I do, I seldom want what it I see--it's still a problem because of what I see on Facebook. Oftentimes, I see people writing and/or posting pictures about their outing to a fancy movie theater, concert, or party, and wonder: Why wasn't I invited? Why don't I ever get to do that? It's the same with relationships at times; I see someone talking about their impending wedding, and I ask myself: Okay, so...when is my wedding? With all this talk about being different, and not doing or having what "everybody else" does...shouldn't that apply to social outings and my relationship status as well?
3) No more wasting time when I don't get exactly what I want, when I want. Some years ago, I lamented to my coeval friends at church that my mom punished me by making me "write a hundred sentences." They all replied at once, "That's it?!!", and one even commented, "Shoot, man; I'd just write the hundred sentences and get it over with!" Unfortunately, it seems like, when things don't go exactly my way, I tend to pout and get upset. What I should do is find something else to do; seriously, pleading with someone to do what I want him/her to do when he/she has already said no doesn't do anyone any good. The same applies to other time-wasting habits, such as poking around online or pacing and talking to myself. In all honesty, I should have plenty to do; I didn't purchase all those books and DVDs for them to just sit around and collect dust!
I will end by saying this: Many people tend not to make New Year's resolutions, if only because they know they won't keep them. I'm reminded of a columnist in my local paper who once said he got a kick out of visiting a nearby walking trail on the first of January and watching all the people who "resolved" to run a mile a day...only to come back a few months later and see that the vast majority have given up! I used to be the same way, but, in reality, it was only because I didn't want to change my ways; I was convinced that I was fine the way I was. Unfortunately, none of us are; we've been flawed individuals since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Frankly, I think part of the problem with New Year's resolutions is that, when people make them, they bite off more than they can chew, so to speak. Of course those people who want to run a mile or two every day give up; they need to start small! If they started by walking half a mile, and worked their way up over the course of the year, they'd be better off! For some people, though, making a change takes longer than a year. It may take thirteen months, or it may take a decade. I say that because the resolution(s) above probably smack of my resolution for this year. Though I'd say I'm doing better with using my time wisely, I still have some work to do; however, that doesn't upset me. I realize that these things take time, and am proud that I have at least made some progress on that front.
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