The t-shirt you see in the picture there was being worn by a student at my sons soccer game last week. I am not sure what sport this girl participates in but I have to say I like the t-shirts they have. I blurred out her last name on the back to protect the innocent; hmm, anyone else have a sudden desire to hang out & watch "Dragnet"?
When I saw this shirt I immediately thought of THIS post by Jody, if you haven't read it then give it a read; you won't be disappointed (um, is that a pun?). The subjects are similar, although not identical.
All of us have experienced disappointment in our lives. And we've let that disappointment impact us further than it needed to. We wallow in the pain of what could have been but wasn't. We stop believing we can have or be that which have been trying to get but not been able to. It could be a professional aspiration, it could be someones heart, it could be a health goal.
But what this t-shirt is calling on us not to do? It is telling us to keep our focus on our dreams. Or, it is telling us to not dwell so heavily on the yesterday's disappointments we've had that our focus today is misplaced.
Have you ever done this; been so caught up in a disappointing experience that you just stopped trying to live better & accepted just living for a period of time?
Yes, I have, I have done so in previous attempts to get healthy. I've been so disappointed I have stopped caring enough to improve my health for years at a time. I've had projects at work end in failure and have spent months afterwards doing just the minimum to get through the day. I've tried to get the girl of my hearts desire at the time to take notice to no avail and given up on the pursuit of romance for long stretches of time.
So, guess that means we ought to avoid disappointment, right? No, hardly. We need disappointment to become better. Today's failure is the foundation for tomorrow's success. Disappointment ought to be given due focus, learned from, and then focus returned to the dream.
Sounds simple, and it is not that simple. But simple or not, no matter our disappointments; we owe it to ourselves to keep our focus on our dreams.
Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!
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You are so right and yet it can be, for me, SO TIRING TO REMEMBER THAT some days!
ReplyDeleteIm reminding myself that now as I head off to work :)
"failure" there friday means today shall be a raging SUCCESS!!
Miz.
Thanks for posting that, it came at a really opportune time for me. I am still in the fledgling stages of changing my lifestyle (day 15 today, not that i'm counting or anything!) and i have been wavering this morning and looking for an excuse to eat something unhealthy, which would undoubtedly lead to a binge.
ReplyDeleteYour post really nailed how i was feeling as the finish line seems so far away at times....and it's nice to know sometimes that everyone else has similar moments.
Phil
I like the quote... and as you know I like to author them so seeing a new one is always something I enjoy. Letting the past stay in the past is such a big issue for me in all aspects of my life, so a quote like this is important for me.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THAT SHIRT!!!! Thx for the mention too!
ReplyDeleteYes, you know by my post that I have let the past get in the way of my now & future. It is not easy to get past the past as they say.. for me, a constant work in progress!
Yes, like you wrote, let's focus on our dreams! Love it Patrick!
Unfortunately I have a tendency for real extremes; when I've had my most bitterly disappointing moments, I don't just "accept just living for a period of time," but I go completely backwards and start living poorly, or stop living ENTIRELY. I'll exist in a completely zombie-like state for days, weeks, or months on end. Fortunately these disappointments and these extreme reactions are less and less as I get older, but...yeah.
ReplyDeleteI've always been keenly interested in Buddhism and yoga because of the emphasis on "being" instead of trying to constantly change yourself or the world around you. That's not to say that you can't set goals for yourself, like weight loss. However, because I'm SO critical of myself and because I do have a tendency to react extremely (all-or-nothing) I think embracing mere existence, for better or for worse, is a very healthy mindset. "Today...I am here. I'm alive, I exist, and I'm present in the moment RIGHT NOW, even if that moment is disappointing or heartbreaking." THAT is living fully, I think.
I was just dealing with this in the past few months. I have finally been able to let go of regrets that have haunted me for several years now. It's a truly freeing experience when you can shed disappointed and not only move on, but look forward to the future.
ReplyDeleteLove the tshirt. Thanks for the reminder. You da man!
ReplyDeleteVery well put Patrick!
ReplyDeleteWell said, Patrick.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I have to fight the perfectionism that would have me brand most of my days as "failures" because of one small misstep. If I can get past that, I can focus on the good things and move ahead. An "all or nothing" approach doesn't work for me. It would lead me to a series of waiting for the first day of the first month of the next year to try, once again, to be perfect.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Patrick! That is a message we can all take to heart. Plus, I'm glad you aren't gouty anymore. (You certainly aren't eating rich foods nowadays, so I wonder why the gout flared up now?)
ReplyDeleteI do that a lot with life in general. When things build up in life I just shut down. Trying to fight that as we speak.
ReplyDelete