Thursday, December 31, 2009

in which I consider advice on resolutions

I read somewhere that resolutions are good for you, but only if you keep them.  I also read that in order to make good resolutions, meaning ones you will be able to keep, you should visualize them.  Like, literally.  You should imagine what they look like, or more specifically what you will look like after you have successfully kept your resolutions.

So, okay.  Here I am, imagining what I would like to look like at the end of 2010, if I have done everything perfectly.  I have a picture in my mind, and immediately there is a problem, because it is a picture of Parker Posey in You've Got Mail.  In other words, I have (magically) become a successful and ruthless editrix with a palatial apartment and a large dog that my sweet, funny, bookstore-owning boyfriend (played by Tom Hanks, until he leaves me for an inconsequential blonde; perhaps thereafter played by Patrick Dempsey) walks and cleans up after.  So apparently my resolution is to enter the la-la land of big budget chick flicks.

Except not.  So what can I learn from this exercise?  Well, I think it is encouraging that I am visualizing the Parker Posey character rather than the Meg Ryan character, inasmuch as I am a lot more like the former, and I wouldn't really like to be a dreamy shift-wearing NPR-quoting kindergarten-teacher type.  I do think I would like to have a dog, although not in the immediate future since I would first need to move to a new apartment (also, I was cheating - the dog belongs to Tom Hanks).  I would also like to be an editor, of course, but that's probably not in the cards.  The real point is the professional success of the character, and also her ruthlessness.  Perhaps my resolution for 2010 should be ruthlessness.


3 comments:

  1. Happy new year.

    All I can think about whenever I hear of new year's resolutions are all the clueless newbies who clutter the gym after the start of the year, having vowed that this will be The Year they'll finally get into shape. Nearly all will be gone within two or three months.

    Peter

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah... this is an annual annoyance. However this year I might be one of them in that I've been slacking off a bit (to 3-4 short workouts a week plus yoga on Saturdays) and am going to try to redouble my efforts (longer workouts, or separate cardio and lifting workouts in the morning and evening when I don't have evening plans). Also, I'm considering a few sessions with a personal trainer, because I just haven't been feeling inspired.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey hey. Actually, I think you were on the right track with your first visualization. Picturing very precisely what you want, and writing it out in detail (without mocking it as you go along) gives you something you can create. If you had that at the end of the year, would you care if you got there by ruthlessness or by winning the lottery or by thoughtful selection between your options?

    You don't want to be ruthless (that I know of). You want an end result that looks like the chickflicks do. If you are visualizing, make that your intention.

    Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete