I often tease my students that we need to invoke the Dr. Phil philosophy “You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge” Is that true? If so, here are some things I need to acknowledge:
1. I am no longer the person I was.
2. I am not yet the kind of friend that my close friends have been to me.
3. I am inadequate at installing, maintaining or repairing ANYTHING electronic.
4. I should win an academy award for “best performance of a person pretending to have it all together”; yet, there are more times recently when I have been truly content and acting is not necessary.
5. “Life is like a fan, when it blows one way it is a breeze. When it blows the other way it sucks”
(Thank you Brad for that quote)
6. Happiness and contentment are two different things. One relies on circumstances and one on the state of the heart and mind: I long to experience them both.
7. I am weak on my own—I need others to survive
8. I don’t openly cry enough.
9. I don’t openly laugh enough (although probably still more than most, just not as much as usual, but it is getting better).
10. I don’t always deal with my pain in healthy ways.
Now that I have acknowledged all of these things, what next?
It is time for change—time for action– time to take back my life. So, I made a list—what to do next? You know what, you began to complete the list—I met with my financial advisor, joined the YMCA—realized that I don’t have to do it alone. Acknowledge that I needed help with “stuff” — and asked for it.
Dr. Phil is right—you simply CAN’T change what you don’t acknowledge.
This I know for sure….