On Being In Love

So, it is February. To some, it's a lovey month, Valentine's Day and all. To me, it's a month I come very close to hating... it is tax preparation time, but before that it's catch-up-on-last-year's-bookkeeping time, and after that it's FAFSA form time. Budget time, broke time, winter goes on and on time.

But, knowing all this, I must remember that here I am, again, in February and if I don't like what I'm feeling then it's time for me to have a change of heart. I realize, I have a drawer full of personal mottos for a reason. The reason might just be February, you know? It's time to pull them out now, dust them off and let them shine. Because they make sense and they help. What I do for myself, maybe I can do for you, too. So here we go:

1. We choose to be inspired. So, if we're feeling uninspired, then sounds like somebody's got some choosin' to do.

2. Everything comes down to a choice you make. Ideally, we shouldn't choose to do, say or think anything that will make us feel bad about ourselves.

3. Don't be sorry, just be true. Wah wah, guilt, self-admonition, procrastination, but but, grrrrr spaz attack hissy fit .... none of it worth much, right? Gets us nowhere, except maybe around in circles. But if we're true to ourselves and are truthful about the way things are, suddenly we're moving out of our ruts and forward into a new place with a breath of fresh air. ahhhh.

4. Do whatever works. Sometimes you need to let go of all the striving and stop figuring it out. Listen to the Nike swoosh. There's real genius in that slogan. Someone at the ad agency must have written it in February.

5. Decide what you're in love with, and then act that way. Actually, that's a new one. It's the perfect way to deal with the dreaded anything. Don't be hatin' on whatever it is. Find out what you love more instead, and focus on that.

Here's my current example--I hate doing all this bookwork, calculation and tax form filling and filing. That's not a good place to be, feels lousy, and yet that IS the job at hand. So instead, I've decided I'm in love with getting the best results from my new bookkeeping skills and with setting up this system so it's a breeze for me next year and beyond.

Voila! I'm in love with this idea and the promised results. The task involved is a means to something I care about. I feel great. And pretty darn accomplished. I mean, this is a lot of work and it's not my specialty nor my pleasure and yet... I'm getting really good at it.

And it's working.

Truthfully, I'd prefer to hire someone else for this job someday.

But at this point, I choose to save that money and effort and learn to do it all myself. I must be getting something out of it, if that's the choice I'm making.

You know, I am newly inspired, now that I've written about it. Because I love to write and share. I hope my February experience helps someone else realize, like I have, that wellness is lifestyle. We create it. We are shaping our lives everyday. My month was in need of a little makeover, and now.... Quickbooks here I come!