Iyanla Your Own Life!
Okay, it’s late January; where are you with your resolutions? Bump yall who didn’t make any – don’t get me wrong, I kind of dissed them, too. I dissed them because I usually see them as “folks just talking”, but in reality, I like New Year’s Resolutions AS BRAIN DUMP. I write out these long lists of every possible thing I am interested in, want to do, need to do, and even just remotely curious about! I mean, by the time I get done, I have sticky notes and notepad paper everywhere. Then, I put it all on a corkboard, look for themes, and try to organize them.
As I organize, some of the stuff doesn’t even make the vision board before it gets cut. For example, I’m a runner. I’m NOT feeling running a marathon, but I put it on my brain dump list. For some reason, I feel like I’m supposed to want to do that. Chile, that marathon note is in the trash! I just don’t want to run 26.2 miles. But I do want to focus on increasing my pace with half-marathons. My running goal is to finish a half in under two hours! Right now, I’m at 2 hours and 10 minutes.
What I’m after when I do this brain dump is to get a glimpse of my blindside and the things that I have not acknowledged about myself. Yup, I “Iyanla” my own life and wind up with a prioritized list that is saved to Google Notes.
Throughout the year, I glance at the list to see if my interests change and inevitably cross a lot things off the list. Over the years, I have learned time and time again that many of those things were and still are impulsive wishes. Nevertheless, I continue to be amazed at how something that was so urgent and interesting in December is easily scratched off the list in February, June, and August. If we’re honest, some of us date this way – getting involved in something before knowing whether you actually want it. As self-aware as I claim to be, I am always amazed at how fleeting my desires are and likely influenced by what I see on TV, social media, and probably by a wee bit of the sin of comparison. This being said, some of the stuff on the list actually gets done (or bought). As I stew on it, I realize that some of those things are personally valuable and not something I want because I saw somebody else with them. But have you ever tried to sift which of your desires is truly yours? There are a lot of people out here taking prescriptions written for someone else.
More than anything else, this practice saves me from feeling anxious and overwhelmed and from judging myself. While I do start the year with my plans already underway, this brain dump list gives me time to think without feeling like I need to make a commitment RIGHT NOW!
So, what’s on your brain-dump list?
