Did you remember to spring forward this weekend? The clocks jumped ahead with just one click of the hour button. My internal body clock didn’t adjust so easily.
When was the last time you tried to physically spring forward? It’s been a long time, huh? Let’s try it together right now. Don’t just sit there…get up from your chair.
- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
- Get into an athletic position.
- Swing your arms back and……
- Jump forward, landing on both feet.
Good, Lord! That took some effort! I didn’t get far. Maybe a foot and a half.
It also brought back a bad memory of a long-jump disaster back in high school gym class. I could jump a longer distance back then, but I wouldn’t exactly call myself graceful.
Springing forward in life takes more effort than clicking a button or launching your body off the ground. There have been a few times recently when I’ve felt stuck in place. I needed to spring forward…but didn’t have the motivation. This feeling of being stuck in place usually happened when I was either: (1) very unhappy and didn’t think I had the power to change it; or (2) felt content and feared making a wrong move and upsetting the apple cart.
What I learned was…
You have the power to change your life for the better…to spring forward…no matter how good or bad you think things are…even if you think life completely…SUCKS.
If you own this book and have favorite passages underlined…
…that’s okay. Sometimes I think my life sucks too. We all reach low points at one time or another. The key is to not stay there.
On a scale of 1-10 of happiness, I’m at about a 6.5 right now. I’m feeling stuck in place. At times like these, I need to conduct a little self-examination and make a positive change. If I can make just one, small change…then it tends to build momentum. Are you also feeling stuck? If you don’t give your life a 10+ on the happiness scale, then I invite you to join me…to self-reflect…to identify one small, realistic change that you can do to make your life (or someone else’s) a little better and suck a little less.
Don’t set yourself up to fail. Pick something that you think is possible to achieve. If you can’t think of anything, then just keep doing long jumps until it comes to you. At some point, the pain will give way to a great idea.
I’ve been thinking about the following question for a long time, and could use your help to answer it.
What kinds of things do you think we can change about ourselves…and what can’t we?
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Posted by Diane Tibert on March 14, 2011 at 7:08 am
A great post to read on a Monday morning as we stare down the next seven days. What can I accomplish in them to help me spring forward?
I haven’t been a ten on the happiness scale in many years. I think of those days and wonder how I can at least get to an eight. We do have the power to improve our lives, but it’s harder to go from a five to a six than a nine to a ten. It feels as though the gaps are larger . . . or at least they feel larger.
What can we change about ourselves? Attitude is the best thing. It makes a half piece of pie just as satisfying as a full piece.
What can we not change about ourselves? That’s a harder once to answer. Everything can be changed, but not everyone has the power to change the things they dislike or the things that make us unhappy. We may hate our big nose, but if we can’t afford a nose job then we’re stuck with our nose.
Posted by Tracy on March 14, 2011 at 8:56 pm
Attitude is a key ingredient. Leaving out attitude would be like leaving the chocolate chips out of the cookie dough. Having a positive attitude is sometimes miskten with being stuck up, but I think we can still be very positive without putting our big noses in the air.
Posted by Andie on March 14, 2011 at 10:17 am
There was a time in my life when I felt completely stuck. I remember thinking that if I did not make a change immediately I would feel the same way the next day (and the day after and the day after) as I did on that particular day. So, I made a plan to change. And I do mean a PLAN. It was a well thought out, very exact, and scheduled plan. I took Step One immediately and never once veered from my Plan.
Sometimes we need to change the eyes in which we are viewing the world. This is in our control.
Sometimes, change also requires a change in our surroundings-the people in our lives. This is in our control.
We all have “those” first steps we need to take. Once the initial step is taken, continue on.
When we take one step our body naturally follows with the other. If not, we fall down. So let’s identify which steps need to be taken and start moving. Sometimes it requires a step and other times it requires a jump, or a leap (of faith), if you will. One thing I do know is that whether it is a step, a jump, or a leap, it requires a DECISION so make it, take it, and “run” with it.
Posted by Tracy on March 14, 2011 at 8:58 pm
Very well said!
Posted by 1959duke on March 14, 2011 at 10:46 am
As the saying goes “the first step is the hardest”. In ways thats true and in ways its not. I’ve been called a “plugger” in life and that is true. I just keep plugging away at things. Its not always the easiest way to go about things but it works for me.
Posted by Tracy on March 14, 2011 at 8:59 pm
Andie said the same thing so you two are thinking alike! Plugging away also works, unless you’re trying to dig a hole through the earth to China.
Posted by SuziCate on March 14, 2011 at 10:55 am
Springing it forward is hard work!
Posted by Tracy on March 14, 2011 at 9:01 pm
It can be, especially when in involves jumping with both feet at once. I tend to leave one foot behind, just in case I need to back up. That makes it kind of hard to move ahead with speed.
Posted by britt is fit on March 14, 2011 at 6:28 pm
at least we are given one day to get used to it before work!~
Posted by Tracy on March 14, 2011 at 9:03 pm
I wouldn’t advise long-jumping at work, unless it’s over a stack of paperwork that will self-destruct behind you.
Posted by Ron on March 14, 2011 at 10:25 pm
I LOVE how you associated this post topic with the clocks springing forward, Tracy!
Very clever!!!!!
Good question….
“What kinds of things do you think we can change about ourselves…and what can’t we?”
I think one of the things we CAN change about ourselves is our outlook on our lives. Maybe it’s not exactly as we ‘imagined’ or ‘planned’ it to be at this moment, but we can change how we perceive it, until we CAN change it.
And one of the things I think we CAN’T change about ourselves, is that we can’t escape ourselves.
We can move, change jobs, change partners, but we can’t change the fact that we can’t get away from ourselves. Often times when I was trying to change my life, it really wasn’t about changing my life. But rather, running away from from ME.
Fab post, Tracy!
Posted by Tracy on March 15, 2011 at 9:21 pm
Don’t run away from yourself Ron, but if you do, make sure you’re wearing comfortable shoes :-). Awesome to see you here, as always.