A Resolution Doomed to Fail

Which is it?

Trying to Enjoy Every Day. 

that is.

If you really think about, it is highly unlikely, impossible even, that you will enjoy each day this year. There are going to be days when you're going to be as sick as you can be, or as tired and stressed as you can possibly imagine. You're setting yourself up for disappointment if you think the year's going to be all warm and rosy. 


The better alternative is to strive to be present each day. On days you feel joy and pleasure, stay in the moment. On days you feel sadness or anger, you know what? just be sad or angry and then the trick is to let it pass, like clouds or the rain. For the mundane things, 

The Nobel-Prize winner, Daniel Kahneman wrote
"Attention is key. Our emotional state is largely determined by what we attend to." For normal routine circumstances, an awareness of the circumstance gives meaning to the activity. "To get pleasure from eating, you must notice that you are doing it."
And here's a couple ideas, should you wish to try awareness and being present as a resolution.

  1. Every day, try and notice something new where you haven't previously looked, or have not previously considered
  2. In different places, notice how many layers of sound can you hear. If you're at a park, is there a layer of bird sounds? Another of couples speaking? Maybe the wind has a subtle layer from a breeze?
  3. On random times, think that you stood 3 steps away, what would it be like if you became a witness to yourself? How would you describe what you're doing?

And sometimes, an ache comes up, a feeling of inadequacy, catch yourself.
"What, in this moment, is lacking? What's missing in the moment? When you really think about it. 
Nothing's missing."
That's because you're exactly where you need to be at this moment. This is either to teach you something or to simply participate in the day.

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