It’s that time of year again. The time we set totally unrealistic, unattainable goals for ourselves.
Lose 20 pounds.
Read the Bible cover to cover.
Keep the house spotless.
Walk the dog every morning.
Floss my teeth.
Year after year, we doom ourselves to failure. Why do we do this? Are we masochists?
This year, I’ve decided to be realistic. I’ve set one simple, easy-to-keep resolution, and here it is:
I resolve to accept my flaws.
A-ha! Finally, a resolution I have a chance of keeping!
I’m sure I have many flaws of which I am blissfully unaware. But I’m also very aware of others. The thing is, every flaw has an upside, and maybe we’re not in nearly as bad shape as we think.
I am a horrible housekeeper, for example. I have no interest whatsoever in dusting, vacuuming, or mopping. On the flipside, however, this means my house has always been the place where my kids and their friends feel free to experiment with paint, hot glue, markers, Legos, and all other kinds of messy craft supplies and toys. I was much more interested in what they were creating than worried about the messes they were making. As a result, I have two very creative (though admittedly untidy) children.
I also tend to be a bit impatient. Because of this, however, I make the most of my time and am very productive. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I had less than a dozen items on my daily to-do list.
I once read an article about Mother Theresa in which she was described as stubborn. Had she not been so tenacious, however, she would have never accomplished all she did for the poor in India. The article touched on the concept of every flaw having an upside and the concept stuck with me.
Rather than pursue that ever-elusive perfection, I say let’s all go forward in 2011 and learn to love ourselves just the way we are, flaws and all.
What are some of your favorite flaws?
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5 comments:
Great blog, Diane.
Accepting one's flaws can be a real biggy. And yes, I agree most of all flaws have a flip side.
My big flaw is I'm bad to collect clutter. I cleaned my desk off three days ago and already it's piling up. Hmm? Now...what's that flipside? LOL.
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Hmm. Favorite flaws? Great question, Diane. I'd say my favorite flaw is also my fatal flaw this being my reluctance to ask for--and accept--help. I suffer from an 'I must do it myself' curse. While it has made me a very productive, semi-organized, hard worker, it has also made it difficult for me to take time off.
Which makes it your basic mixed blessing.
I accept my flaws but darn it, no one else seems to lol. I hate housework too and I'm a packrat. I love my stuff. It all means something to me. Except for one nephew who is like me, everyone else gives me a horrible time saying how much better I'd feel without it - nope.
Funny you should mention flaws, Diane. I am finding that I have a few more than I originally thought. Having recently been married (45 days and counting!), I am discovering that I am a neat freak (as compared to my hubby) and kinda pissy about having my own way (probably from living so long on my own). Having said that, I'm working on them with DH's help. Of course, he has no flaws.......
I have trouble accepting my flaws, though I'm, ahem, a few years older than most. The one I can't accept is procrastination. Some of the others, oh, well.
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