You can learn a lot by being a fly on the wall.
The people who cross your path have led interesting lives, do
interesting things, and have many interesting stories to tell. If you
take the time, be quiet, watch and listen, you can discover a great deal
-- about them, about life, and even about yourself. It’s not just
their words – you can learn from their actions, from the things they
choose to talk about, not just what they say, but how they say it.
We are surrounded by many, many beautiful souls, but we don’t always
get the chance learn just how strong and beautiful others really are.
Look and listen before you start speaking, and you will be amazed at
what you see.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Quitter
I hate to admit this, but I am a quitter. For most of my life, I've started and stopped at so many things, in so many ways. But, that's ok, I would say -- nothing lasts forever, right? I suppose I could explore the reasons why I don't stick to much, but let's just say that I have a tendency to start things and not finish them up. This blog, for instance, is a good example. If I manage to finish this entry, it will be only my second. The first post was added over a month ago. If I don't say any more, it will be one more thing I quit.
Why bring this up? What is so special about today? Why not just quit blogging, like I've quit so many other things, and have done with it? Because today is a milestone. One year ago today, I went to my first Zumba® Fitness class. And, I haven't quit going. That is the milestone -- I started something, I liked it, and I didn't quit.
Oh, there were moments, believe me, where I could hear the whisper. OK, you've done enough. You've proved your point. Isn't it time to stop? But, as weeks turned into months, as a once a week activity turned into something I do 3 times a week, something changed. I started ignoring the voices that said "don't," "stop," and "can't."
This time last year, I was on a mission to lose weight. I was working with a weight loss program, and had lost a modest amount in 6 months. But, the pull to quit was still there. The same whisper, the same words. I actually stopped going for a few weeks at the end of 2011, but a call from the center brought me back. I decided I wasn't going to quit. Since starting the program, I have lost about 55 lbs, and I am down four dress sizes. Finishing what I started feels good.
Despite being more focused on possibilities and ignoring the negative voices, though, I found myself saying "can't" this week. Thankfully, I was called on it. "The minute you say you can't, you can't," I was told. Or, won't. I wondered, on the drive home, if thinking "I can't" once again didn't make me a hypocrite. For several months, I had focused on and talked about believing in oneself and making the impossible possible. Was I quitting yet again?
Here's the thing about focusing on the positive: it starts when you learn to forgive, first yourself and then others. You can make mistakes, take a step back and start fresh. A positive person can have a negative moment, a negative thought, and still remain a positive person. To answer my own question, no, it's not hypocrisy, because thinking "I can't," if just for a moment, only makes me human. It's a pause in my journey, not the final destination, as long as I don't stay there.
My tendency to quit was my way of giving up on myself. I'm not that person anymore. I believe in possibilities, and that if we keep trying, we can accomplish anything. I believe in moving forward, and being better today than I was yesterday. I believe in trying, and when something doesn't work out the first time, trying again.
So, if I'm going to quit anything, it is the idea of giving up. I am quitting quitting. Feels good...
Positively yours,
Fariha
Why bring this up? What is so special about today? Why not just quit blogging, like I've quit so many other things, and have done with it? Because today is a milestone. One year ago today, I went to my first Zumba® Fitness class. And, I haven't quit going. That is the milestone -- I started something, I liked it, and I didn't quit.
Oh, there were moments, believe me, where I could hear the whisper. OK, you've done enough. You've proved your point. Isn't it time to stop? But, as weeks turned into months, as a once a week activity turned into something I do 3 times a week, something changed. I started ignoring the voices that said "don't," "stop," and "can't."
This time last year, I was on a mission to lose weight. I was working with a weight loss program, and had lost a modest amount in 6 months. But, the pull to quit was still there. The same whisper, the same words. I actually stopped going for a few weeks at the end of 2011, but a call from the center brought me back. I decided I wasn't going to quit. Since starting the program, I have lost about 55 lbs, and I am down four dress sizes. Finishing what I started feels good.
Despite being more focused on possibilities and ignoring the negative voices, though, I found myself saying "can't" this week. Thankfully, I was called on it. "The minute you say you can't, you can't," I was told. Or, won't. I wondered, on the drive home, if thinking "I can't" once again didn't make me a hypocrite. For several months, I had focused on and talked about believing in oneself and making the impossible possible. Was I quitting yet again?
Here's the thing about focusing on the positive: it starts when you learn to forgive, first yourself and then others. You can make mistakes, take a step back and start fresh. A positive person can have a negative moment, a negative thought, and still remain a positive person. To answer my own question, no, it's not hypocrisy, because thinking "I can't," if just for a moment, only makes me human. It's a pause in my journey, not the final destination, as long as I don't stay there.
My tendency to quit was my way of giving up on myself. I'm not that person anymore. I believe in possibilities, and that if we keep trying, we can accomplish anything. I believe in moving forward, and being better today than I was yesterday. I believe in trying, and when something doesn't work out the first time, trying again.
So, if I'm going to quit anything, it is the idea of giving up. I am quitting quitting. Feels good...
Positively yours,
Fariha
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