It's the dawn of a new day. The calm before the storm. You're about to rewrite history and redefine the future. There's only one problem. You just decided to embark on this revolutionary rendezvous like ten minutes ago and the New Year is like four seconds away...
We do this same exhausting jitterbug Every darn year and you all still think that this plan is effective. We wait until around December 1st to decide that we need Iyanla to fix our lives, and in 30 days! Not that there is anything wrong with implementing, fostering, and embracing change, but people have to learn the key effective components of simplicity and living within a reality-based existence. You Cannot and Will Not become a size 2 by January 1st, after being a size 24 on December 20th, and deciding that you were going to go on a crash diet, detox, do 400 burpees everyday, and buy a waist trainer! You may die instead. I'm just saying.
We have become a society of instant gratification. We don't know how to brace ourselves, tune into our true needs, and then thoroughly strategize and construct a pragmatic plan of action.
Who knows their 6 Ps?
"Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance."
So in true essence of my viciously ingenuous therapy, I just wanted to keep you guys grounded a bit on the Eve of this delightful New Year. I only hope to bring light to your truth and inspire you to do a bit better...Or in the most emphatically awakening manner ever, reassure your soul that it's actually OK to be just where you are life!
4 Times This Week You Realized You Didn't Have Your Sh*t Together For 2016...
1. When You Logged Into Facebook - I don't know what's in the water these past couple days, but social media has been showing its narrow little behind lately! Everybody is either really angry, really happy, really racist, really in love, really annoying, really desperate, really successful, really fertile, really a do-gooder, really too serious, really phony, really lying, and/or all of the above. Meanwhile, you've been sitting on your couch this week, intensely absorbing all of this insanely ridiculous rubbish into your mental; and now you're wondering who the hell you are, who the hell have you been, and how the hell do you become ALL of these things that you have been seeing. It's only human nature to compare and contrast ourselves with others. In some instances it can be quite healthy. In some cases it can be toxic. Whatever side of the force of nature that you've taken to, Do note that Facebook has found a way to victoriously ruffle people's feathers and cause them to rethink their entire damn existence and purpose in life!
2. When You Switched Over Your Savings to Your Checking, Paid Off Most of Your Credit Cards, and Still Managed to Build Up a Nice Little Nest Egg to Take You Into the New Year, and Then Sallie Mae Called - You probably shrieked with this one. Sallie Mae is the Devil. Student Loans are the most effective systematically controlling way to always keep you in debt! They can't be filed with bankruptcy accounts, they refinance into the cost of three more tuitions, and they will garnish your $19/hour salary and think nothing of it. Yes, there are some who have mastered the art of their payment arrangement and pride themselves in that accomplishment. However, the bulk of most higher education having, useless-degree-toting citizens that I know, wouldn't mind pulling a Michael Myers on ole Sallie! Just when you thought you had your finances stable, your academic front money from 20 years ago reminds you to go have several seats.
3. When It Dawned on You That You Still Had the Same Dead-End Job - The goal in life is to always aim higher and seek better. This holds especially true when we ponder over our jobs and careers and where we would like to be in our futures. The problem is that this amazing vision isn't always so easily attainable. The job/position we entered into back in 2006 that we said we would occupy no longer than 2-3 years, has now turned into about 10. This is ok if you're already in your desired profession, career, Company, and/or position. This may not be ok, however, if you're still the Paralegal whose plan was to ultimately become a Partner (please reference Rachel from American drama series Suits). Now here you are on December 28th trying to figure out why you haven't gotten your life together yet, and realizing that you just may not have your ish together like you thought you did!
4. When You Were Honest Enough With Yourself To Actualize That You Didn't Need To - Are you smiling yet? You should be because the entire premise of this post should've just come full circle for you. You are fine just the way you are!!! Don't let society, Facebook, Finances, Career choices, a new year, or a blog measure your greatness! At this point you're either Extremely upset with me, or remarkably enlightened. You actually read through this the entire time judging yourself and thinking that you didn't have your sh*t together...Truth be told, you're only as "together" as you deem necessary and acceptable. If I go into 2016 with my same baggage from 2016, I'm actually going to be ok with that and just go buy me some new cuter luggage. See where I'm going with this?? Enhance what you have, improve what you can, keep what you need, and be content with the rest. Make orange juice outta lemons and always consider your glass half full -- of Wine of course!
Now go have a FANTASTIC evening and bring in your New Year just the way that you want to...Me?? Im going to go get my Sh*t Together!! *grabs Chardonnay bottle*
Image sources: GIPHY, Strikkly Hip Hop, and Head Over Feels
~The original version of this post, and other work from this author, can be found at the blog DjNDevin~