Am I alone here or do we all wish for a reset button now and again? Throughout the year, I occasionally feel like everything would be better if I just had a reset button. Either my coffee got cold, I washed the whites with a red garage rag or ordered southern fried chicken at a hot chicken joint instead of ‘hot’ chicken. But here’s the deal, January is here, what better time for a reset button than right now.
The new year is pretty much a ticking time bomb because, in a sense, we do believe that it can be a reset button. Why else would we set up ridiculous resolutions like quitting smoking, losing 30 pounds by spring or finding true love, right?
I get it, it’s kind of like saying ooohhh it’s Monday, a new week, a fresh start, a weekly reset button. It doesn’t help or work that way, does it? But I was thinking, we could approach this from a shallow aspect or we could open our minds and embrace the new year as if it could work.
There isn’t really a good formula for making all of the new year wishes and dreams come true, but let’s work together and create a fancy reset button of our own, with no strings attached. We don’t need to make lists, prep meals for a week at a time or sign up for a crazy work out regime.
Here’s how we create our own reset button for the year and our lives. We need to keep our expectations in check, from my experiences, expectations are the root of all evil, and here you thought it was money, huh?!? It makes sense, think about it, what has been in more abundance through the years, money or expectations?
This is how it all comes together for a better year, a better day, it’s time to hit the reset button. Don’t hit the reset button just because its Monday or a new year, hit it because you deserve it. You deserve to be happy, to get ahead and to come out on top for once. When you give it a go and let your actions, not your expectations, dictate your life, your ways or your path you’re sure to come up on the winning side more than not. Mumbo-Jumbo, I hear you loudly, but I’m serious. Take something small, little, tiny… take away the expectations and watch the magic happen. I don’t mean the trash, if they aren’t taking out the trash, you’ve likely conditioned them not to so that isn’t going to change, or, not to sound like a sexist, if she doesn’t cook, she likely won’t start because you’ve lowered your expectations. The bigger stuff is what matters most, it’s the expectations of our friends, family and significant others that causes us to lose sleep and smiles.
The people in our lives let us down because we set them up to do so, mostly. It’s been said that we want to be loved, liked, taken care of like we do all of those things. Whether it’s at work or home, a family gathering or at the DMV. Well, maybe not the DMV. We think that because when they were sick and we came home from work with a video game, sick pop, and popsicles, that they will do the same kind of thing when we get sick, but they don’t. We believe because we do all of our work and often times co-workers, stay late and work extra hours when needed, that we’ll get the promotion or raise, and we don’t. We expect that our friends will watch our dog(s) like we watched theirs, but they don’t. Oh, wait, did you see that word? Expect! Believe, think, etc… these are words that could easily have been said differently, you could easily exchange them for the word expect.
It’s awesome if we can find people to add to our lives, but to expect them to be and do things just like us, well, that’s where the trouble kicks in. Other people will just not ever really live up to what you think they should. When you welcome someone into your life, like, love and appreciate them for what they add and don’t worry about the rest. I’m not saying that you can’t count on anyone, you can, just don’t expect them to carry the moon to you on a silver platter, and don’t lie to yourself, sometimes we do. At work, do your best and if you’re not happy, then find another job. Easier said than done, yes, it is, but unhappiness won’t change if the environment stays the same. We are just coming off of the holiday season and it might seem like we will all be visited by the ghosts of whatever past, present, and future, but we won’t and neither will our bosses.
Here’s the smooshy stuff… love yourself and know that you are loved. You are loved even if you feel that you are alone sometimes and that nobody gets you. We all love and execute our lives similarly, but in different ways and we all, for the most part, try and do our best. Don’t stop breathing, deeply and remember to lower your expectations, but don’t abandon them entirely.
