The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
The secret to getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks
into small manageable tasks and then starting on the first one.
-Mark Twain
Bettering Yourself – Week 1 – Jan 1-6, 2013
TO BE MORE FRIENDLY
Aah, the New Year…a brand new opportunity to make our cherished dreams come true. I no longer make New Year’s resolutions, because like most people, I don’t stick to them. Rather, I am going to work at bettering myself a week at a time. I hope that by bettering 52 things about myself, more doable change will occur in small increments, like paying myself compound interest at the end of 52 weeks.
Each Monday in 2013, I will add something I want to make better about myself that week.
1. Awareness of what I want to change is the first step.
2. Sharing my aspirations with someone else is the next step.
3. Then consciously thinking about it each day for 7 days to reinforce it and build confidence in my plan is next.
4. And finally, developing and implementing an action plan to achieve it.
By asking the universe to fulfill one small dream of mine a week, I hope the universe will respond, by guiding me, and not overwhelming me with big sweeping changes.
The most important part is BELIEVING IN MYSELF and my ability to make the change.
Jan 1, 2013 My journey begins with my desire to BE MORE FRIENDLY. I value my friends deeply, but sometimes, I am too busy doing things to develop the friendship, and I am also a little shy, well actually quite shy. This week I will text, email, phone, visit, write letters and notes to my friends and show them I care. I am also going to smile at the cashier at the supermarket, and say hello to my neighbours walking their dogs. I have many acquaintances in my neighbourhood, but don’t know some of their first names. I have been chatting to a woman that lives one street over for five years; I think her name is Lorna. This week, or the next time I see her, I am going to say: “your name is Lorna, right?” Then in future I can say hello by name.
Each week in 2013, I will update you on my progress, before posting the next “bettering yourself” blog.
I welcome your comments or insights at dearann@annhoy.com;
Happy 2013.
REVIEW OF WEEK 1 – BETTERING YOURSELF – TO BE MORE FRIENDLY:
Being friendlier brought rewards! By smiling and talking to everyone, I got my teapot refilled in the restaurant, and bike riders and walkers said hi. I sent and received emails, texts, messages, letters and packages. I was being really social. Although I didn’t make many phone calls, but I don’t enjoy talking on the phone…no-one’s perfect…
But I took Rocko (my dog) out socializing with me, and we visited with the horses that live nearby and fed them long grass, and allowed a bike-riding family to go by us on the walking path. (Rocko sometimes lunges at bike riders…oh well, no dog is perfect…) They smiled and said “Happy New Year” to me. We even walked down “Lorna’s” street to see if she was home, but she wasn’t.
But, the most amazing result of all about BEING MORE FRIENDLY was it CURED my shyness- focusing on being friendly to others helped me forget about myself!