Resolution Adjusted: Tell Me More

Hello! How are you? It’s been a while. A little over three months to be exact. My last blog post surrounded my approach to the new year and resolutions. If you haven’t read it, please go back and check it out. The TLDR is that I decided to approach the new year differently that I had in the past. Rather than forming new habits, I would do more of the things I was already doing. How is this approach working for me? Yeah…

Let’s see how I’m measuring up so far. I’ll give myself a grade of Pass or Fail for each “habit.” That seems fair enough. So, I wanted to to do more of the following:

Write more.

Fail. I’ve actually written less. That’s illustrated by the fact that this is my first blog post since January. I have no valid explanation for not writing more. I have tabled ideas rather than pulling out my phone to jot them down. I have planned to write for an hour on several days only to be overly critical of my ideas to the point where I delete full paragraphs or write nothing at all. Perfection is the enemy of good, right? It’s better to do and get it wrong rather than not doing at all. Someone remind of this on the daily, please.

Reach out.

Pass. There is a lot of room for growth, but I’m with the progress I have made so far. I have communicated with my dad more this year than I have in a long time. Most of the time, I send text messages just to check in with him. That works a bit better since we never know one another’s sleep schedule. I have also made it a point to reach out more to other friends and family. It doesn’t have to be some grand production. A simple “Good Morning” or “Have a great day!” can carry a lot of weight. You never know how much of an impact a simple message can have on someone’s day.

Get more sleep.

Fail. My sleep schedule hasn’t changed at all. The only thing that has changed is the effect it has on my body. It’s taking a more significant toll on me. Naps have become a necessity rather than a luxury. I often have brain fog at work due to a lack of rest. No matter my intentions, I always find myself awake at one or two o’clock in the morning during the work week, and the sun usually greets me on my off days. If there is anything that I need to focus on in my life, it’s this. MUST GET MORE SLEEP.

Take more photos.

Fail. It’s like I don’t even know what a camera is. Honestly, my interest in photography has died a bit. I still appreciate great photography, but I don’t feel the desire to take photos. There are very few new photos in my iPhone’s photo library. I’m sending my DSLR across the Atlantic with my friend following her visit next month, and I’ve removed the photography section from the website. Maybe photography and I can rekindle our love somewhere down the road, but it’s farewell for now.

There you have it. I’m batting .250 in 2019. That won’t get me to the All-Star game or to Cooperstown. I’ll check back in later this year with an update progress report. There’s nowhere but up from here! Right?

Originally published on Lost in Birmingham, April 25, 2019