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This week’s post is courtesy of a very special guest blogger – Jennifer Pinsky-Newman
It is almost the end of January and for the first time I can remember, I am happy with my New Year’s Resolutions. I’m guessing it has something to do with the fact that I decided NOT to make any. Usually, by the time December hits, I have a list of things I’ll “work on” and “change” after the holidays. By the time New Year’s Eve rolls around, I’ve selected one or two items from my list and I enthusiastically declare them as my resolutions! Shortly after that, my husband laughs as he asks me long how I think it will last (especially since the resolutions don’t seem to change much from year to year). I’m sure this sounds familiar to many of you reading this right now!
I’m not exactly sure when or why I decided to do things differently this year. It isn’t just my way of avoiding being disappointed. It can’t simply be attributed to my procrastination. I’m positive that it isn’t me being lazy either. In reality, it is more connected to reflecting on my life (I turned 40 in December) and to a shift in the way in which I think. Of course, I have no way of knowing how this year of “non-resolution” will evolve but I’m up for the challenge!
Where do you stand at this point in the year…have you already given up on your resolutions…are you proud of your accomplishments so far…did you forget to set goals for the year…are you surviving one day at a time…?
Consider this week’s blog as an invitation to examine your life from a different perspective; the good news is that each one of us is responsible for everything in our life…the good and the bad while the bad news is that each one of us is responsible for everything in our life…the good and the bad. This means there is no one else to blame when something goes wrong AND there is no one else to get the credit when something goes right. Understanding the concept that each one of us is in charge of our own life is a gift—and—a responsibility. While most people have the best of intentions, those intentions often do not get translated into making the best choices or doing the right things. What makes one person successful when someone else is not? What enables one person to persevere when others quit? You get the idea.
Keep all of that in mind as you take a look at this riddle by Sean Covey, found at the beginning of his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens:
I am your constant companion. I am
your greatest helper or heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down
to failure. I am completely at your command.
Half the things I do you might as well
turn over to me and I will be able to do
them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed – you must merely
be firm with me. Show me exactly how you
want something done and after a few
lessons I will do it automatically. I am the
servant of all great individuals and, alas, of
all failures as well. Those who are great, I
have made great. Those who are failures,
I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work
with all the precision of a machine plus
the intelligence of a human. You may run
me for profit or run me for ruin – it
makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me,
and I will place the world at your feet. Be
easy with me and I will destroy you.
Who am I?
Ponder that one awhile. I had my high school students try and guess this and it lead to some very thought-provoking discussions.
Eventually I told them the answer:
I am habit.
If you read through the riddle a few more times while keeping the answer in mind I’m sure you will come up with some insights about yourself and your life. The question is what will you do with them? I’d love to read your response…join the conversation by posting your thoughts and comments…it really does lead to an interesting conversation and hopefully will contribute to a good year for all.
January 31, 2010 at 5:06 pm
It’s interesting that you didn’t make any New Year’s Resolutions this year. I usually try not to because if I end up not succeeding at it (example: going to the gym everyday) I won’t disappoint myself. That’s not to say I don’t set goals for myself, but I don’t rely on doing it because it’s a new year. As for the riddle, the second sentence pretty much best describes a habit; “I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden.” Habits can be both good and bad; it’s what you make of them.
January 31, 2010 at 6:36 pm
Up until this year, I never took the idea of a New Years Resolution seriously. Now that I am getting into the tougher classes in my college career and taking on more responsibility, I have challenged myself to be a better student this year. Although I have always considered myself a good student, I know that in order for me to reach my maximum potential in life, I am going to have to do more then just be a “good” student. I have always felt like as long as I do enough to get by, I will be successful, but I am learning that having that mindset just is not going to work. Even though it is just the second week of the semester, I believe I have already spent more time this semester in the library working on assignments then I did all of last semester. The riddle explains that the longer you do something the right way, or the longer you do something the wrong way, it is going to become your automatic way of doing things. Why not train yourself to do the right thing? that way it becomes easier in the long run.
January 31, 2010 at 9:19 pm
For the last few years I have always sat down and attempted to make a list of stuff that I would like to improve on, these ranged from improving grades, going to the gym, and pushing myself more outside of classes. However, this year seemed to be different. I could not agree more with this first part of the post, “It is almost the end of January and for the first time I can remember, I am happy with my New Year’s Resolutions. I’m guessing it has something to do with the fact that I decided NOT to make any.” When I read that I thought about how I didn’t make any resolutions and so far it is paying off. I have already started going to the gym more and I am hoping to improve my grades a little bit. When I read the riddle for the first time I didn’t pick up the fact that it was a habit. However, after reading the riddle once more I do see where it is a habit, the first part states “I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.” This is true about a habit as it is going to help you if it is good, or it is going to hurt you in the long run if it is a negative habit.