Suck It Up, Buttercup

The mantra around our house for 2013? "Suck it up, buttercup!" And yes, I did make the sign above for a visual reminder. While I'd love to have a long list of new years' resolutions, I don't think it's an ideal way to make changes. Probably one of the few I ever kept was not eating chips for a year, sometime back in my late teens. No idea why I picked that but I did it and remember celebrating a new year up at camp with some Pringles! While I do believe in goals, I work better in shorter term ones, like our changes in September last year.

But while J and I decide to make changes throughout the year, this is something we need to embrace. Just suck it up and do it. One thing I have learned is that I'm addicted to comfort and feel entitled to things that I shouldn't. I often don't do things simply because I don't feel like it and make up excuses why I need rest and have balance. While those things can be good, I don't want my feelings to dictate my actions. I need to learn to get uncomfortable and put in the hard work to grow as a person whether that means getting up earlier, spending time with someone when I'd rather be with my family, or scrubbing the sink.

Finishing this book was another reminder of how privileged we are and how easy things come to us. We want to eat? We go buy food. We want a drink? We turn on the tap. We want clean clothes? Throw them in the wash. These things are not normal for a large percentage of the world. Many people work long and hard hours for the basic necessities and even then it's often not enough. Sometimes my sense of entitlement can be subtle. This is a common scenario on a typical day...it's the boys nap time, they have tired me out and I want a break. There are things to do around the house, I sit and turn on the TV as I eat my lunch and an hour later I'm still there, indulging myself instead of serving my family. I complain about all the stuff in our house and wanting to purge but I don't get serious and put in the work to make it happen. I read this quote here and thought it was great....

If it matters, you make the time.

If it doesn’t, you make excuses.

This whole idea of "sucking it up" has already made a difference in J's life. He's decided he wants to start running. He's made a commitment to himself to do it a certain number of times a week. Last night I made some last-minute plans with a few friends for dinner. I didn't get home until after 8:30pm. Who wants to run at night, in the dark and cold? Not me and not him. In the past he probably wouldn't have done it, but with our new mantra in mind, he sucked it up and did it. I was proud of him!

My boys are now in bed. Normally I would waste time on the computer, watch TV or do something else to indulge my laziness. While I'm not saying that will never happen, tonight I'm going to put on my iPod (I know, woe is me!) and put in some work on one of my January goals which I'll share about soon. Time to suck it up, buttercup. I'm sure there is a nicer, more flowery way to say it but it works. And I have my husband and my fancy little clip art sign to remind me when I forget. Hey, I'm a primary school teacher. It's what I do! :)