Ok so 3 days into 2009 I feel obliged to comment on 2008. Some of it has been good,developing wonderful friendships, starting Uni, and lots of foreign wanderings, America, Spain, Greece, South Africa and Mozambique at the end being definite highlights. Some of its been not so great, but instead of misering on about that...
...I look forward to 2009....and I think I'm happier than I have ever been, mostly because I've almost accepted I'm never going to be the perfect person that I think that others think I should be. Perfectionism is a tricky subject, its a case of finding the balance between being the best you can be, and cutting yourself a bit of slack sometimes when it is needed.
New years resolutions were probably made 3 days ago, and many of them may have fallen by the wayside already. Mine personally haven't, as I've chosen gradual ones, eg: Take up yoga, try and get in some kind of routine, Learn Portuguese and eat properly. Also maybe another reason they haven't yet failed is that they are about
doing things, not about
not doing things (eg: I wont smoke, I wont eat cheese, I wont terrorise auntie Margaret's cat).
I could be said if we set too high standards for ourselves we are just setting ourselves up for failure, and subsequently guilt.
(eg: 'I will go for a run 3 times a day'. You only manage 2 times on Friday January the 2nd so you think 'Stuff it, I cant even stick to it until January the 2nd, what hope have I ever got of achieving anything?)
A good example within this theme is Bill Gates. I'm sure many of you have your gripes with Microsoft. Microsoft has its fair share of critique as being a flawed program. for example, a new version of MS Word was released in 2008, and I'm sure many would say it's still not perfect. But It's probably just as well for Mr. Gates that he didn't wait until it was perfect to release it: People are still buying it, imperfections and all: If he had waited till he got it perfect, it would not yet be on sale and he would not have billions of dollars to show for his work. Though Imperfect, It was arguably the best it could be at that point in time, and has helped countless people.....er write essays and make birthday cards.
Also, apparently, most drum sounds on music today are made by drummachines. (clearly the world ran out of attractive male heartbreaking drummers)
The problem is that drum machines are musically 'perfect'. That’s why the machines have a setting that tries to recreate human error. Theres a sticker around, popular with drummers, that says 'Drum Machines Have No Soul' The imperfections in the sound give the music soul and our imperfections as people give us soul to,o and ultimately make us the strange, creative beings we are.
So aim for the best, but don't beat yourself up if you fail, its not gonna help yourself or anyone if you punish yourself with guilt, or abandon your dreams by giving up. In the words of Ashanti 'Pick yourself up and try again'. And in the words of my friend Helen 'Aim for the Moon, for if you miss you will be among the stars.
HAPPY new year!!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
