Guiding Acknowledgements for 2024 | Brutal Truths That Are Worth Reminding Myself Of
For a long time I have struggled with the concept of New Year’s Resolutions. In the past I do not think I was as calculated in terms of planning certain paths on my own that would help set me up for better success for those resolutions to become a reality. Have you done that? Set a goal, but we’re not sure how you were going to accomplish that goal. I was ambitious; sometimes I still am. But I think having lived through some struggles of life now I have to acknowledge that I can be and am a bit more jaded than in my youth. Aspirations are great! But I need to be more realistic with myself about achieving goals. Furthermore, I have found that for my professional goals to become a reality, I had to do more work on personal acknowledgments - I had to ready my mind and practices, so to speak, to even be prepared to tackle actual specific goals.
But with that transition, I think I also realized that resolutions are fine - if that works for you. Somewhere along the way, I felt like I needed to change my language from resolutions to acknowledgements. With this change in language, I feel like it makes me take more accountability to acknowledge my faults and do better at owning some of the challenges that coincide with those faults, but still leave a path to intentions for some self improvement.
Sometimes; words matter. And with 2024 just underway; I have honed in on my 5 acknowledgements for 2024. Each acknowledgement could, in theory, have resolutions or intentions of their own. Each of these could me a mental reset to help making a specific goal a reality. But, for me, the path to progress on those intentions had to start with more ownership; acknowledgement and acceptance of some ideals that I wanted to improve upon.
Acknowledgement #1:
A walk is never a waste of time.
The Bella girl LOVES her walks. She lives for them every day, and I love it when she is happy. She is a husky, so when I walk her daily it is good for me, but she also behaves better.
I never want her to lose her husky nature, but I also know I sleep better at night when Bella has been properly walked.
And, if we are being honest - walking is good for me too; physically and mentally.
With this in mind, I am telling myself a lot more so far this year to take the extra walk. It will clear your mind, and your dog will love you even more - if that is even possible!
Acknowledgement # 2:
While an occasional unproductive day can be critical to your overall rest and mental health improvement, too many unproductive days can easily lead to unproductive months and an unproductive year if you cannot find appropriate ways to sharpen your motivation and focus.
Motivation has been harder lately; and finding ways to sharpen your focus is imperative.
Acknowledgement #3:
People are disappointed in you when they cannot manipulate you.
I promise with these last three acknowledgements that I am not giving up on society as a whole. But I am allowing myself to be far more honest in my assessment of others, and how their behavior impacts me - because sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. I have to be in control of whether it does or doesn’t.
Over the course of the last few years, I have found a significant amount of truth to this statement. When I push back a little and stand up for myself, my staff perhaps, or what I believe to be what is the right thing to do; this upsets some people around me, sometimes.
It is critical that I take note of who gets upset and then remind myself that Acknowledgment # 4 is sometimes appropriate.
Acknowledgement #4:
Someone is upset with you right now because you chose your own inner peace over dealing with drama and you chose distance over disrespect.
I struggle with this sometimes. Specifically, I don’t want to not stand up for myself or advocate for the people I am responsible for. I don’t want to create a culture where others think that is the norm. Having said that, too often I will not be heard anyways; which makes picking my battles important to my overall mental health.
Acknowledgement #5
You need to stop wasting your time, effort, and words on people who simply deserve your silence. You have done more of this lately. Take note of Acknowledgement # 3 and #4. People are going to be upset with you, but it is not always worth your time and energy.
There can be strength found in silence.
These acknowledgements, while not earth shattering, are often reminders that I need to remind myself of. I can be working through the day to day of everyday life, living these acknowledgements. But then it is so easy to get knocked off track, and then I find myself grabbing one of my most prized possessions, my journal, to work my way through the mental chaos to some form of re-established clarity. Typically, when that happens; acknowledgements like these are a part of that process.
All that being said; did you have your own acknowledgements for 2024? Reminders that help bring you back to center when life inevitably knocks you down? I am willing to bet you do.
What are they?
