I have this terrible habit I like to call "Fat Tuesday."
"Fat Tuesday" is the day before I start anything, like eating Carnivore, then I'll run out and eat a Double Whataburger with Cheese, Large Fries with a side of Onion Rings, and unsweet tea.
Or I'm giving up social media; then I'll spend a couple of hours trolling through Twitter, getting my last licks in before deactivating the account.
Then I'll start my diet the next day or whatever challenge I'm doing.
It's a terrible habit I need to break.
If I'm going to start a new habit, I need to start at that moment. It's that simple.
If you hang around the internet long enough, you'll get enough self-help tips to shake a stick at and a plethora of life-changing tips.
I've had this one list for years and promised myself to start this list.
I think that if I were to commit to the habits in this list for one year, I'd live the life I've always wanted to live.
Like one of the things on the list is writing five hundred words a day. So it makes sense, I want to be a writer, and a writer writes.
Another habit I'd like to cultivate is writing a blog post every day for a year with a minimum of five hundred words.
Well, I'm that now with Skating the River.
I've been on a streak with this one, so I'm happy about that.
The thing about the list is that I know there will be days I won't be able to do all sixteen items on the list.
If I could strive for an "A" on the list but expect at least a high "B," I should be okay. A "D" would be an awful day.
I've had this list for years, and I can't remember the first time I wrote the list down. I remember writing it.
I kept it in various forms on my Notes App, like this annoying Post-It note that I keep running into and saying, "oh, yeah, I need to start that, someday."
Along with my "Fat Tuesday" habit, I'll wait to start the list either at the beginning of the month. Or I'll wait till a Monday. Only one problem, if I suck at the list on a Monday, I'll wait a week to think about starting again. (Don't ask me why?)
There's fuzzy math that goes in my head when I'll spend whole days rationalizing when to start my list.
Here's what I know: if I don't take a shot at doing this list before God calls it a game for me, it'll be one of my many regrets.
I've got some time to try to implement some of the habits, and hopefully, when my life changes again like I get another job, some practices will stick. Fingers crossed.
During the retreat on Saturday, I had this thought: you could live the life you always wanted; you just have to commit to it.
My issue right now, I haven't committed to the life I want to live, but the life that's thrown at me, if that makes any sense.
Well, I'm kind of tired (and bored) of that life.
I need some change in my life.
The list is the guide.
Let's go from there.
By the way, I didn't go to Whataburger the other day. Old habits die hard and aren't nearly as delicious.
