Exploding the Plastic Inevitable

I would like to rewrite most of my myths. First I have to find them, then take them apart.

The first myth I have to explode is the idea that I will always be a certain kind of person, or that the kind of person I am can't do certain things. I don't mean things like being a gymnast, giving birth to 5 children, or earning a PhD in astrophysics. On the other hand, I don't mean things like balancing my checking account everyday or never eating another pastry again. Some things ain't gonna happen for various reasons. But there are a lot of great things that I can do and actually want to do that seem out of reach, even though there are no real barriers in my way accept my beliefs.

Trying to break bad habits or at least mitigate them requires that I actually believe that change is possible. I'm starting to convince myself that meaningful change can happen, but since I'm pretty stubborn, it's a tough sell. The thing that seems to work best is catching myself at little turning points when I'm doing something that is so "me" that it almost seems inevitable. At those moments I ask myself, "Do I have to do that? Is this inevitable?" And the answer is usually "No." These moments are difficult to identify. Then, another question often arises. "If I am not going to do this action that's not so good for me, what am I supposed to do instead?" Nothing is not a good answer. I'm not a stand and breathe kind of woman. So I have to prepare an alternative.

Sometimes other people are helpful. Sometimes they are not. Seeing other people actively change can be uncomfortable. When I see people struggling to make changes, I will wonder if they need to put themselves through all the stress. I would rather seem them comfortable. But if they were truly relaxed and at peace with their situation, instead of just familiar with it and quiescent, they wouldn't be struggling. Some of the changes other people try seem kind of unnatural or just plain stupid to me. These are usually changes that involve the structure of body parts, physical urges, or third parties. You might be able to convince me that nuclear power is a viable source of energy, but you're never going to get me to close the cupboard every time I take out a dish.