Quit talking, start doing

[Image credit: digitalart]

Do you ever get tired of hearing a friend complain over and over about something they’re unwilling to change? Or how about the person who says one thing, but acts contrary to who they purport to be? What about that one neighbor who wants to lose weight, live adventurously, blah blah blah but never puts her money where her mouth is? Last month I challenged readers to do something new for 30 days and threw out my own personal challenge: to write a book in a month. As I close out day eight, I’ve logged in 13,368 words, along with the personal satisfaction of finally doing something I’ve been talking about longer than I can remember. I’ve also learned that in writing—and life: 1) sometimes it’s better to just do, rather than think, 2) showing up is still the hardest part and 3) it doesn’t have to be perfect, or even good. As long as I’m trying.

When are you going to quit talking and start doing?

Put the needle on the record, put the needle on the record …

[Image credit: dan]

I’ve been accused of resembling a broken record.  For those readers who don’t know what a record is, ask your parents or grandparents.  Simply speaking, a record looks like a giant CD with grooves, or tracks where a needle rests as it revolves around a turntable.  And a broken record skips tracks — meaning, it repeats itself.  In my post entitled You know what you’re doing wrong, I touched on how we tend to repeat the same unhealthy behaviors.  Yesterday, after nearly two weeks of resting my ankle, I finally made it back to the gym.  Right away I began complaining about how I looked and felt due to continued poor food choices.  My trainer’s response to me this time was a question rather than a statement: whose fault is it?  How easy it is to point the finger at someone else when faced with this question no matter the topic.  But the truth is, in this case I have no one to blame but myself.  I’d say it’s past time to trade the record in for a new model.

Do you find yourself regularly complaining about something only you can change?