Do you play the comparison game?

 

[Image credit: Suvro Datta]

Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Lately I’ve been reading myriad materials and thinking, I wish I could whip out prose that eloquent, or I can write better than that. Of course, when the latter thought crosses my mind, the one immediately following is: Then why don’t I!? Sometimes during a Bikram yoga class, my eyes wander to the practitioner executing an effortless asana beside me. Why can’t *I* touch my head to my toes? And then, But did you see my rock star warrior pose? Each comparison we make to our neighbors ends up wasting precious time. Our main focus should be fixed on becoming the best we can be with what we’re working with today. And that might just look like a book-signing tour or nailing standing head to knee.

In what area(s) do you compare yourself to others?

Whose idea was this anyway?

 

[Image credit: cuteimage]

It is our choices … that show what we truly are,
far more than our abilities.
~ J.K. Rowling

Ever wake up and the solution to a dilemma is on the tip of your tongue? Or ever crawl out of bed and not have a clue as to what you’re doing with your life? Both examples are snapshots of me over the course of a few days. In one breath, I successfully solved a web-formatting issue, and in the next I can’t recall why I want to pursue my master’s degree. Something about time passing whether I’m in school or not. Which leads to my next question: Ever jump on the band wagon of someone else’s dreams and think, “Oh, that’s *my* dream!”? But then partway into the planning and prepping you realize yes, time will pass, but whose passion am I really pursuing? If that happens, step back. Regroup. Be gentle. And allow yourself permission to change your mind.

What choice(s) are you at odds with today?

Great accomplishments begin here

[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

The greatest accomplishment began as a decision
once made and often a difficult one. ~ Michael Rawls

Recently I decided I want to pursue my master’s degree. I’ve attended seminars, ordered study materials, created a timeline, charted my plan and begun the prep work to apply. Only I still don’t know what I’m doing. One program offers a teaching assistantship and doesn’t require standardized testing. Another focuses on composition and rhetoric (my passion!), which means countless hours of study time between now and test day, my funding uncertain. There are people to meet—it’s *who* you know, not what you know—and events to join. Half the time my mind is filled with more questions than answers and I wonder how I’ll find room to add one more vocabulary definition. Or find time for one more meeting or to study for one more hour. It always begins with a decision, however. To make it happen, or find an excuse to look the other way.

What’s your greatest accomplishment?