Yeah, it's that fun time of the year where I spend more time than I like to admit to in a state of reviewing, assessing and planning.
Maybe I'm just a thorough geek, but I really do enjoy exploring possibilities and looking at potential objectives for the future.
Things to NOT Be Doing...
We tend to focus an awful lot on things we "want" and accomplishments, but I've long held that it's just as important — if not more important — to examine our situation and consider the things we should probably not be wasting energy on, anymore.
Surprisingly, "stopping" something we've been doing for a while, or dropping out of some activity/groups we've been part of for a while can be harder than taking on something new. Sometimes, that may be because it feels like we are letting someone down by quitting... and sometimes we are reluctant because choosing to not do something anymore feels to much like an admission of failure.
Whereas it is great and noble to be "of service" to others, quitting something that is not working for us is really about having good and healthy personal boundaries.
It May be a Habit, but it is Self-Destructive!
One of the things I'm often lamenting on these pages is my issues with "a lack of time."
And so, I have been taking a closer look at things I am not going to be doing anymore, in 2023. One of these is saying goodbye to several web groups I have been admin/co-admin of for many years.
In many ways they were a great leaning and growth experience, but they are not really relevant to my life anymore... but they are a considerable "time suck." I have been hesitant to drop them because I know perfectly well that I have been the only one on the admin team that has consistently "shown up" to keep group members happy and engaged.
And yes, some people will be upset when I withdraw... and that's sad, of course. And it's also likely that the groups will fizzle away to nothingness. But maybe that's just what they are supposed to do. I have just been keeping them up as a matter of habit.
Another thing I will not be doing is spreading myself as thin, with my online business ventures. No, I'm not talking about crypto blogging here... I'm talking about the actual businesses at which I try to scrape out a living.
I have to face up to the fact that eBay and Etsy are commerce giants for a reason, and whereas it is lovely and gives me a nice warm feeling to also try to support and sell via smaller independent venues, the FACT is that they take just as much work and time to maintain, but they bring virtually no sales... and I'm a business person, not an idealistic philanthropist.
If I were independently wealthy, maybe I wouldn't care... but I need to throw that time and energy at places that will actually reward me.
Trying to be "The Exception" is an Exercise in Futility!
Another thing/habit I will not be participating in in 2023 is my interest in pursuing ideas, people and projects that feel like I put a lot of effort into proving that there's an exception, rather than just following the general rule.
Over the decades, I have gotten much better in this area... and someone saying "this particular thing just can't work" is no longer a clarion call for me to pay attention and embark on a frustrating journey to prove that it CAN work!
The same with people who say things like "nobody who does XYZ has ever been nice to me!" Again, I was so often compelled to prove such a statement were not true... but nowadays I'm more inclined to just shrug and think "there's probably a really good REASON for that!" and move along.
But there is still some old "deadwood" that needs to be trimmed.
There can be a lot of freedom found in consciously not doing and not participating in a variety of things — alluring as they may be — that drift through our lives.
Why not have a look and make some of them part of YOUR goal list for 2023?
Thanks for reading, and have a great Friday!
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Created at 20221230 00:42 PDT
0710/1957