We all make New Year resolutions; don't deny it. We tend to take the easy route by resolving to either lose weight, quite smoking, or exercise more. Granted, these are noble and well intentioned; but their success rates leave something to be desired.
Now, I seriously do not intend to downplay someone's attempt to better themselves. I, myself, wish I had the will power to lose weight, quite smoking and exercise more; all at the same time, in fact.
The purpose of this post is to shed light on the resolutions that we make to ourselves in the privacy of our own consciousness. Even these resolutions are not 100% successful. When we fail to live up to them, we have our harshest critics to contend with; ourselves.
Very few of us look upon the start of a new year as simply another day. It has been ingrained in the human race to be viewed as a fresh start, a new beginning. It is a chance to make amends for past sins, better our lives and the lives of those around us. Fate, many times has its own plan for us.
Throughout any given year, a number of "bumps in the road" occur. We find ourselves unexpectedly losing loved ones, becoming unemployed, or making wrong decisions with seemingly disastrous consequences. It is our reaction to these occurrences during the course of the year that defines us.
We need to walk that fine line between accepting these twists of fate for what they are while at the same time not beating ourselves into submission because of them. We must also remind ourselves not to allow others to project their dissatisfaction, and, yes, hatred, upon us as we continue to face life on a daily and yearly basis. One's life and their contribution to it is based on more than a singe event or happenstance.
The most important New Year's resolution we could all make would be to remember this throughout the year. Resolve not to be your worst enemy.
As they say, "the devil is in the details". Unfortunately, the details seem to be forgotten when people post titillating stories about others on the Internet. Apparently, even the news media may omit important facts when reporting on a story.
As humans, our natural inclination is to defend ourselves against such falsehoods or omissions. We tend to see these omissions as personal attacks; and many times they are. Lashing out against the original author of the post, whether it be a member of the media or the average Joe, may not necessarily be in your best interest. In the contentious realm of the Internet, those taking a defensive stance are more likely to come across as "whiners" and "cry babies".
Launching a counterattack directly on the original author accomplishes nothing more than drawing additional attention to the falsehoods initially put forth. As hard as it may seem, the best course of action is to ignore the posts. Write your own chapter. Share your joys, your sorrows and, yes, your pain. If others take offense to what you share, so be it. If they are true friends, they will respect your right to express yourself and if they disagree, they are capable of doing so in a respectful manner. Those that take what you post and twist it in such a way to benefit their own beliefs; while at the same time making you look like a fool (or worse), are truly not your friends and have no place in either your life - online and offline.
Don't allow others to write your story. Only you have the power to determine whether your story is found in the fiction or nonfiction section of life's library.
