"We Never Change, Do We?"

“We never change, do we?

  We never learn, do we?” –Coldplay

It seems like I am constantly making the same mistakes; playing the victim to my own bad habits.  I am getting pretty tired of it.  Are we incapable of change?  I would like to think it sometimes.  That way I can blame nature rather than myself when I screw things up or act in a regretful manner.  But the truth is – the only thing we cannot change is our past.  If we truly want to be different, better, wiser, richer, or what have you; the power to do so is in our own hands.

Dalat-Nha Trang Highway, Vietnam

Making a change is not easy though.  It is something I struggle with immensely.  There is so much about myself or my life I wish I could change.  I am constantly saying things like, “I want to lose weight,” or “I wish I had more patience,” or “I will not lose my temper,” but I never seem to DO anything more than state my desire…and get frustrated with myself when I commit the same habitual mistakes.

Hoi An, Vietnam

Well, as Bob Dylan so eloquently stated: “the times, they are a changing.”  It seems my time in the Middle East is drawing to a close.  I know a change in location does not fix things that are broken (however small or large they may be); but it will provide for a “fresh start” if I commit the effort to making those positive changes I keep talking about.  I think it is about time I stop talking the talk and start walking the walk.

Dalat, Vietnam

I won’t make a huge proclamation like; “from this day forward I will be good, I will be kind, I will be patient, I will eat healthfully, I will exercise, etc, etc, and so on.” If I do that, I will never grow to be the person I would like to be.  I think the first thing I need to do is come to terms with my flaws, accept the things about me that are not so great, and think about what ways I can improve the things I want to change in a realistic manner.   I would like to learn to celebrate the things that are good in my life and accept the things that are not so good as a challenge & an opportunity to improve. It is something I will have to work on every day; and if I fail today, tomorrow I will try again.

Danang, Vietnam

(Yes, I did post random pictures from Vietnam to distract from the actual content herein & lighten the tone.  We are working on positivism here, y'all.)