Keeping Promises
For the past two years instead of making New Year’s resolutions I decided to make promises to myself. It was my hope that if I kept a promise to myself over a period of time that it would become a way of life for me.
For 2016, my promise was to keep fresh flowers in my bedroom. I wanted something pretty and fragrant at all times in my space and to me having a floral boutique was the way to go. Lucky for me, if there is a such thing as luck, my local grocer started promoting “$5 Fridays” (in store deals only on Fridays) and included in those deals were fresh flowers. For me that was like winning the lotto. I could get beautiful flowers in my space and be kind to my budget.
Promise Kept 2016
By the end of the year what I hoped for became true. I kept a promise to myself and that promise because a way of life. Right now in my room are fresh flowers. Not only do those flowers bring beauty, elegance and some smell good to my space. It is a powerful reminder that I can keep a promise to myself.
I don’t know about you but I have promised to do a lot of things that just don’t happen. Obstacles and resistance come knocking at my door and for some reason I let them in. Once they are in my space, be it mental or physical, I end up being distracted for a significant period of time. In the end, the thing I so really wanted to do is not done and somehow other stuff got neglect too. I feel bad and beat up myself for allowing obstacles and resistance to win. I feel even worse because new to dos have been created. So these flowers mean a lot more than just home décor.
It is now the beginning of 2017 and I needed a new promise. I decided to up the stakes and promise something personal. For 2017 I would go to a museum every month. This promise would cause me to do something I know I enjoy and would get me out of the house. At the minimum this promise would be a date with myself, if no one wanted to join me.
It is only the first month but wow! Not only did resistance and obstacle come to my door, they damn near tried to bulldoze their way in. Someone close to me pulled the ultimate guilt and manipulation trick. It took everything I had to stop them in their tracks. There was a lot of self talk and affirming going on. I had to not only keep my promise to myself, I had to not be resentful of them at the same time. It was a hard day but I did it. I kept my promise for January. Atta girl, pat on the back and WHEW! I am praying for February to be a lot easier.
Oh, I know you are wondering what museum did I visit? I went to The Broad Museum. It is a contemporary art museum founded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. Admission is free but you need to make a reservation in advance, like a month or two. Or you can try your luck in the stand by line on the day you want to visit. Truthfully it did not rock my boat, it was just ok. However, I was on edge. Remember I just enforced a boundary and denied entrance to obstacle and resistance. With that in mind, I will visit again, for the “don’t be too hasty/just in case” factor.
So my question is what promise can you make to yourself that will bring you joy, love and light into your life? Don’t promise something big like I will lose weight or I will become debt free. Try something small and meaningful. Consider something like, I will walk 10 minutes a day in a park or I will pet an animal or I will read a few pages of a novel daily. Do something for you, not something you ought to do. Share in the comments below. I cant wait to read about your promises.
Until next time…
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