I am one of those people who make a list every year. It is a good habit actually because I write it in a Batman notebook my brother gave me in 2001. Since then, I have been writing it there every year, along with my goals of the year, and it has been a lot of fun reading it throughout these 7 years. This year is no different. One thing new though, is that I am blogging about it too. Works this way as it keeps a record of my thoughts of what to change in me every year, till the year I stop writing.
Think positively. Talk positively. Don’t project negativity. This resolution came to the fore after a friend of mine and I had coffee last night. During the course of our conversation, he suddenly said to me, “Ang nega mo naman.” Nega for negative. It really caught me offguard. I always thought I was the most optimistic person that I can be, but I realized, after reviewing our conversation last night, that there were three instances in the conversation where I said cynical and negative things. I won’t mention them here anymore as they are of a personal matter, but it did project a sense of negativity and cynicism, which sometimes envelopes my way of thinking. Even my best friend scolds me for it. Sometimes, I just can’t help it. So this year, I will channel my thoughts and words into more positively so that I project it in my conversations with people and in my work, most importantly.
Not to play the victim anymore. Be more assertive. Sometimes, because I have this inherent habit of not being assertive enough to say no, some people treat me like a doormat. Do this, do that, I want this, I want that. And I do all their requests, unmindful if it’s too dyahe na for me. Interestingly, Christmas year, I decided to just be more assertive and say no to things that I am not interested in doing and I wasn’t worried if the other person will like me more or not. I couldn’t care less. I was really overworked and tired, physically and mentally, and I think, just choosing the projects I know I can deliver properly, made more sense to me. It’s not a popularity contest anyway, and I realized also that some people will always treat me as a doormat because I allow them too. So after saying no, to several different instances, I felt more in control of my life and not get too worried whether I hurt their feelings or not.
Adopt new technology with an open mind. It is really urgent this year, as I have evaded using camera phones for so long, but now that I am designing clothes and seeing people wearing my clothes, and wanting souvenir photos of them, the camera phone becomes the easiest way to document those. I have a very poor history of adopting new technology, which is quite ironic because 95% of my income actually happens online. So this year, I will open my mind to all new technology available and not be such a technophobe. I should have the curious heart and eye of a teenager, ever on the lookout for the gadget. Anyway, in my case, I always look at the ROI of all the things I buy right now. It can be monetary ROI or emotional ROI.
Consciously buy Philippine-made goods. It’s a habit I have started this year, and which I hope to expand more this year to more goods and services. Frankly, it’s tough to shake the colonial make-up of my mind, but I am doing it one step at a time, to be more appreciative of our own products and really support them by buying them.
I will be reviewing this list again by Holy Week so let’s see how I do. I haven’t listed anymore those things which have become integrated into my daily habits so I’m happy that this checklist forces me to make these resolutions become real daily habits.
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