“There are two primary choices in life; to accept conditions as they exist, or accept responsibility for changing them.” -Denis Waitley
I realized yesterday that I had changed. It was not anything seemingly earth shattering, but it has made me think. Let me start by saying that for a long time my mantra as I stomped around the house was, “I have to do everything myself.” This was accompanied by lots of loud sighing, mumbled curses and tons of self-pity. Let me paint the picture a bit.
I am the handy one in my house so I am automatically the fix it person when anything breaks. Outside of Cheez-Its and frozen pizza, I am the only one who cooks anything. I do the vast majority of the cleaning, household errands, and child related appointments. I could go on, but it’s really not the point. The point is that I alone was the person who had designed this life.
One day not so very long ago, I decided I didn’t want to play the martyr anymore. It wasn’t a decision I gave a lot of thought to. It was really just something I promised myself I would change and let it go at that. Well… a few weeks ago my husband cleaned out the garage while I relaxed and read a book. Somehow even though I am spending a lot less time cleaning the house is not much worse for wear. The topper was yesterday, while I sat at the computer and did my thing, a professional installer came and put on our new, top of the line and not some low-end piece of crap because what am I a Kennedy, storm door. I feel like a million bucks!
Like I said, it doesn’t seem monumental, but my perspective changed so much. I let go of being miserable and insisting on doing everything myself. Why did I hang on to that for so long? Why would I even choose to do it in the first place? I realized that, at some point in my life, I had decided this was how I could prove I was worth keeping around. What? It was so time for a rewrite.
What kind of crazy ideas have you cooked up? We all have them. I guess they are coping strategies we put together to get us through our lives. Just like you wouldn’t have thrown money into a typewriter business when the world had started buying computers, you are allowed to bail on a pattern of behaviors that do not make sense. It’s your life why not make it the way you want it!