2011 Checklist, Part 02: Personality.

If I had anything resembling resolutions for 2011, these would be it. Second in a series of comments on a checklist for the new(ish) year. This particular section has to do with ...

Personality:

• Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Not too hard. I don't really look at someone and check to see if I'm doing "better" or "worse" than them. I have enough to worry about on my own plate and don't need to measure my life against anyone else's.
  
  
• Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. I've slowly been converting myself into an optimist. Back then I was definitely more of a fatalist with pessimist tendencies and it hadn't really benefited me all that much. Although nowadays I try to look on the more positive side of things, my outlook is still mixed with a healthy amount of realism. So far I think it's a good balance.
  
  
• Don't over do. Keep your limits. I'm half in agreement with this one. I'm all for not overexerting oneself, but there's no way I'm never testing the limits of my capacity. Stagnation isn't really the way to go.
  
  
• Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. Getting better at this. Life is much more pleasant when you live with a lighter heart.
  
  
• Dream more while you are awake. Maybe I'm doing a little too much of this :)
  
  
• Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. I wouldn't call it envy, but I do catch myself admiring possessions/characteristics of other people. But I would see it more as something to aspire to be, in a positive manner.
  
  
• Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others. Done and done.
  
  
• Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present. Still an ongoing struggle with me; this is probably one of my biggest obstacles. I've found it difficult to "move on" with certain aspects of life when ghosts of my past self continue to haunt me. Therapy has helped me before and I plan on going back as soon as I can afford it.
  
  
• No one is in charge of your happiness except you. I wish this weren't "easier said than done." While I can't say I'm completely, 100% perfectly happy with where I am in life, it's comforting to know that I'm taking steps in that direction. Who knows -- I may never get there, but the thing about perfection is that it's unknowable.
  
  
• Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. It's become easier internally for me now that I see past problems as learning points. Granted, I haven't been the brightest "student" over the past few years but I'm learning. Slow and steady is the course for me, I guess.
  
  
• Smile and laugh more. Done.
  
  
• You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. This was a big hurdle. I've been fairly successful at letting things go, and realizing that it's okay that other people have different viewpoints. I don't have to change other people's minds; there's nothing to be gained by force.