Channeling Nautica

Wore this on my first date with Jonathan: Disc golfing

You can do what you want where you are with what you have.

I misread a quote today to say "You can do what you want, where you are, with what you have." It must have been a message from my subconscious.  I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed with things I want to do that seem so far out of reach.  One of my main New Year's Resolutions was to live up to my privilege, meaning, rather than wanting more, to first fully use what I have.   

"Drops of Awesome:" Positivity

I just read "Drops of Awesome," by Daring Young Mom.  It was so inspirational.  She talked about how whenever you have a positive thought about something you're doing well, you remember that you're not doing it perfectly, and you feel discouraged.

I, like most people, am a perfectionist.  My own weaknesses (for lack of a better word) disgust me.  I have a desire to be perfect, to be unashamed of who I am, but it's hard because I'm not perfect (shocker) and I do LOTS of embarrassing things. :)

But I also do good things.  Both statements are true. I do good things and I do stupid things.  So I have to choose which one to focus on.  I choose positivity.  Things are the way they are, they don't affect how I think, feel and act.  How I interpret them affects how I think, feel and act.

None of us are perfect, but we're not lost causes either.  Focusing on the small victories adds meaning to a confusing life:)

52 New Things: Buy a Piece of Furniture (51 To Go)

So, I made some New Year's resolutions.  Among them, is to do 52 things this year that I've never done before.  It can be simple, like trying food I've never had, or big, like taking a trip somewhere I've never gone.  I kicked off this week unwittingly, because I needed a shelf for my new room.  I realized this was my first time buying a piece of furniture.  (It was $15 at the DI, still totally counts.)

In Love with Reality

A few days ago I was talking to an acquaintance. He asked me what my wildest dream was, if I could do/have one thing, what would it be?  I ventured a few dreams, but he kept turning them down.  He said it had to be something BIG, something fantastic that could never really happen in real life.

Call me short on imagination, but I couldn't think of one single dream that I didn't think had a chance of coming true.  When I explained this, he was surprised, then exclaimed, "You're in love with reality!"

I like to think that I am:)  What is reality?  From an existentialist point of view, reality is neither good nor bad; it just is.  The way we respond to it then becomes our "reality."  So, you are the one who determines your reality.  I loved President Utchdorf's talk in which he talked about dying people's regrets.  He said one of the most common (and surprising) regrets is that people "wished they had allowed themselves to be happier."

It is up to us to determine if we respond to life with bitterness or gratitude, love or hate. That becomes our reality.