Simple Things

1 year.
12 months.
52 weeks.
365 days.
8760 hours.
525,600 minutes.
31,536,000 seconds.

Which is better:
1. To make huge goals but never fully reach them?
2. To make small aims and hope to be better sometime in the future?

I will choose the first. Is it unrealistic to set goals? Well, no not quite. But it is unrealistic to set goals, and so many "I will do's", that your grocery list looks pale in comparison to your personal to-do list. Don't get me wrong. I think it's great that people want to be positive and "reach for the stars." The only problem is they forgot to figure in their lack of a spacecraft carrier that will get them there. In essence they don't have the resources, wherewithal, and means necessary to get a hold on their desires. Their grip begins to slip and they quit. Wouldn't a more realistic goal be more appropriate and more attainable?

New Years doesn't have to be filled with the famous all time lies waiting to show you just what a big hypocrite and liar you really are. You know some of them, you've said some of them, you've failed at all of them:

1. I'm gonna lose weight and be skinnier than I was in high school (or at least as skinny) and I think I'll get my 17 year-old pre-baby stretch mark body back.
2. My house will be clean everyday this year.
3. I'm going to pay off all my credit cards and never borrow a single penny again.
4. I'm going to have a perfect marriage.

Enough said.

We cannot attain the looming generalized statements. These kind of promises feature the all or nothing mentality, which single-handedly sets up for immediate failure upon the first inkling of mis-performance. Don't believe me? It's simple. It really is...Just...Simple.

It's the simple things. The little things. The small redirection in attitude, technique, and mindfulness which can bring about lasting change. How about this one? I'm going to purpose to drink more water. When I am out to eat, I'll just get water. I'll reserve pop for a special occasion (even diet) which in turn will cause me to enjoy it more. It will in the long run prove good for my health and body. Or what about this simplicity? I will walk right to the coat closet when I get in the house, hang up my coat, and put my shoes away neatly on the shelf. This is simple because I have to take my coat of right away anyways and the closet is conveniently located upon entry through the door (almost like they specifically built it that way for that reason), so why not just work this right into my schedule--let's see, 1 minute a day times 365....Out of some 500,000 minutes that's not too much. Or what about this simple I will return the shopping cart to the cart corral or better yet to the inside of the store...MY DEAR LORD SHE CAN'T BE SERIOUS!!!

What are the things that make you smile? Are they the huge gigantic feats where you conquered the unimaginable? Or is it the moment a tiny voice, stops whining for just long enough, to whisper "Mom, I love you as high as the sky and as deep as the ocean." It's the simple things that bring joy and pleasure and it's the simple things we can do to be better on a yearly, month by month, week by week, hour by hour, minute by minute, and second by second basis.

Simple, isn't it?