xibalbaNOW
The Giddy Aunt
And so the time has come for those who are so inclined to make a promise to themselves, to announce a fresh start on something, and thus marking the start of a brand new year. Sadly for a lot of people that's also the start of the end for said promise, and the resolution is dead in the water even before the NFL playoffs (a little American reference there- hope you like it cousins!).
Personally i've never made such a resolution with any serious intention of keeping it. I've promised things like stop drinking, stop smoking, stop buying inordinate amounts of chocolate at 2am just because you want to, and other such throwaway ideas that never last. Creature of firmly rooted habits.
And yet this time around i've been thinking quite seriously about some fairly meaty resolutions, and you'll have to believe me when i say i'm equally as serious about sticking to them. The reasons for all are fairly simple and straightforward, if a little obvious and cliched. Basically over the past few years i've been growing increasingly dissatisfied with the direction in my life, and of its quality as a direct consequence of my own selfish and egotistical actions. I'm wandering around this life of mine, this middle-class, middle England experience, espousing all the attitudes of a regular left-leaning liberal quasi-hippie fellow, and all the time i'm growing fatter, slower, more comfortable and lazy by the minute. Me and 100 million others, i know, but hell, this is the only ticket i'm in charge of so i better get some improved value here before I lose myself.
And so, in no particular order, i wanted to present to you my dear Nexians, my New Year Resolutions for 2011:
1. EAT LESS - leading to significant measured calorie reduction spread over more modest regular meals
2. EXERCISE MORE - join a gym or build one, and finally get to joining that rowing club and use those beautiful city waterways!
3. STOP WASTING MONEY on computer games and shoes, neither of which add any genuine value to my life
4. BUILD YOUR CAREER - this can be a crucial year for improving professional skills and growing freelance work. Dont ever rest on your laurels - only a fool thinks work will come without seeking it out.
5. BE MORE CHARITABLE - get back to volunteer work and start giving something back. The world needs charity more than ever right now.
6. GET A PET - probably an African Grey Parrot or a terrapin. Small steps to repairing my relationship with nature.
7. SMILE! - this one is hard in a place like London where smiles are apparently so expensive that most people a terrified of sharing them in case of a shortage. I'm going to strive to buck this trend, defeat this silly antisocial nonsense and start smiling at everyone. It'll be worth a few odd looks so long as most people appreciate the effort.
8. BE A LOVER - hug my mom more, tell my girlfriend i love her every day, and for everyone else in between let them know when you feel like appreciating all they are and all they do. Its not hard and i really need to stop taking others for granted.
I wanted to put something about peeling back the ego and how DMT is the divine tool to help me do this, but this is less of a resolution for 2011 and more a body of work for the rest of my life. The challenge of dealing with and ultimately understanding my own bloated and perturbed ego (an obstacle in my own personal transcendence, ive come to feel) is one i've decided is made a whole lot easier if i just try and stick to a few simple principles as a start. The above list may seem obvious, cliched, even banal, but for me they represent the first step of improving the value of my life, both to myself and others.
Does anyone else have resolutions? I'd be interested in hearing others' thoughts here!
Personally i've never made such a resolution with any serious intention of keeping it. I've promised things like stop drinking, stop smoking, stop buying inordinate amounts of chocolate at 2am just because you want to, and other such throwaway ideas that never last. Creature of firmly rooted habits.
And yet this time around i've been thinking quite seriously about some fairly meaty resolutions, and you'll have to believe me when i say i'm equally as serious about sticking to them. The reasons for all are fairly simple and straightforward, if a little obvious and cliched. Basically over the past few years i've been growing increasingly dissatisfied with the direction in my life, and of its quality as a direct consequence of my own selfish and egotistical actions. I'm wandering around this life of mine, this middle-class, middle England experience, espousing all the attitudes of a regular left-leaning liberal quasi-hippie fellow, and all the time i'm growing fatter, slower, more comfortable and lazy by the minute. Me and 100 million others, i know, but hell, this is the only ticket i'm in charge of so i better get some improved value here before I lose myself.
And so, in no particular order, i wanted to present to you my dear Nexians, my New Year Resolutions for 2011:
1. EAT LESS - leading to significant measured calorie reduction spread over more modest regular meals
2. EXERCISE MORE - join a gym or build one, and finally get to joining that rowing club and use those beautiful city waterways!
3. STOP WASTING MONEY on computer games and shoes, neither of which add any genuine value to my life
4. BUILD YOUR CAREER - this can be a crucial year for improving professional skills and growing freelance work. Dont ever rest on your laurels - only a fool thinks work will come without seeking it out.
5. BE MORE CHARITABLE - get back to volunteer work and start giving something back. The world needs charity more than ever right now.
6. GET A PET - probably an African Grey Parrot or a terrapin. Small steps to repairing my relationship with nature.
7. SMILE! - this one is hard in a place like London where smiles are apparently so expensive that most people a terrified of sharing them in case of a shortage. I'm going to strive to buck this trend, defeat this silly antisocial nonsense and start smiling at everyone. It'll be worth a few odd looks so long as most people appreciate the effort.
8. BE A LOVER - hug my mom more, tell my girlfriend i love her every day, and for everyone else in between let them know when you feel like appreciating all they are and all they do. Its not hard and i really need to stop taking others for granted.
I wanted to put something about peeling back the ego and how DMT is the divine tool to help me do this, but this is less of a resolution for 2011 and more a body of work for the rest of my life. The challenge of dealing with and ultimately understanding my own bloated and perturbed ego (an obstacle in my own personal transcendence, ive come to feel) is one i've decided is made a whole lot easier if i just try and stick to a few simple principles as a start. The above list may seem obvious, cliched, even banal, but for me they represent the first step of improving the value of my life, both to myself and others.
Does anyone else have resolutions? I'd be interested in hearing others' thoughts here!
