I once read that if you want to be successful, you have to like make an appointment with it or something.
I seriously suck at recalling quotes because I also seriously suck at listening hard. I am, however, amazing at inferring so I always get the gist of things. And, the gist of this is that super successful, smart people who live awesomely believe that, in order to be awesome, you have to commit to it all the way.
Go big or go home.
That whole thing.
So, I have officially added “Be Awesome” to every single day on my Google calendar this year.
Because that way it will happen.
I’d love to have you join me!
Dumb Mom’s Guide to Being Awesome: 10 Things Aspiring Awesome People Can & Should Do Right Now!
1. Stop being annoying. I do it. You do it. Everyone does it. I’m just going to try to do it less.
2. Don’t be passive aggressive. Everyone hates that. So choose one. Be passive. Or, be aggressive. You can’t be both if you want to be awesome because the two are inherently mutually exclusive; passive people aren’t aggressive and vice versa, and when you try to rock it that way you fall smack dab into #1: being annoying.
3. Be less selfish while also being more selfish. Because sometimes, you can get all caught up in not being selfish and then you start to neglect yourself. Being unselfish is a slippery slope like that. You have to find balance (gah, I hate that word). The perfect balance between not being a total jerk and also making sure people around you don’t take advantage of your willingness to give and leave you feeling, looking, and eventually acting, completely unawesome. What it boils down to is: learn to say no. Like you mean it.
4. Remove the captcha from your blog. I mean, unless you don’t want comments from people like me. Because I have promised myself to never comment on another captcha-ed blog for the duration of my life.
5. Stop being guilty. Notice I didn’t say to stop feeling guilty. I’m of the firm belief that Catholic people (like the one I’m married to), were on to something with the whole guilt thing. It serves a purpose in life and, if you’re a normal human, its ability to eat you from the inside out helps keep you on the straight and narrow. Everyone who has ever felt for real guilt works pretty hard to avoid having to feel it again. Because it bugs. So, it serves a purpose: to keep those of us with a conscious from getting buck in life. But, you should only feel it if you’ve actually earned it. So, stop doing things that actually make you guilty and ditch the made up guilt you inflict upon yourself. This means no more feeling guilty for any of the following: “me” time, a dirty house left to simmer while you play with your children, calling in sick when your boss is sucking the life out of you, not volunteering for ANOTHER fundraiser since you led the last 2, avoiding that judgey chick from your book club when you see her at the gym, standing up to your mother in law when she degrades your parenting, telling your own mom to butt out when she does the same thing, sleeping past sunrise. I can go on here, but I think you get the idea.
6. Be nice. Everyone knows mean people suck.
7. Step away from the Facebook. Now, I will be the first to admit that I have been known to love on some Facebook (not so much as of late, but still, I’ve been there). However, Facebook should NOT be the first place you go to announce your engagement, pregnancy, birth, or divorce. Life moments should be shared with real people in real life. And THEN posted to your profile page for all of the people who actually sorta hate you and only friended you so they could talk trash about your post-high-school weight gain your virtual friends to act like they’re happy for you.
8. Just do it. Whatever IT happens to be for you. Because, it’s “do or do not…there is no try” (Yoda). See? I can remember important quotes just fine!
9. Be a good movie goer. I don’t mean go often. I mean, when you do go, act right. Probably this is a reactionary comment based on my recent movie going experience (Django. Go. See it.) that featured a wildly pregnant lady who laughed vigorously and talked incessantly for the duration of the film. I don’t enjoy people who need to interact with the film while they watch it. Those people should be required to wait for DVD so the public doesn’t have to experience the film with them.
10. Just be you. Unless you is the movie talker with the rambunctious laugher and no ability to prevent your inner monologue from bursting forth. Or a jerk. Everyone else should be themselves. Totally.
What’s on your be awesome list this year?!
I agree with your 10 tips for Awesomeness! I’d add:
laugh every day especially at yourself
&
consciously decide to consider what will be least stressful when making decisions.
My G is already turning into a movie-talker person. ON Friday we had family movie night and he kept jabbering on and asking questions. Lord help the people around him in the theater someday…
I plan to be awesome by enjoying more time and moments with the kids and hubby. I let that slip away a little too much last year.
I like all of your “awesome” list!
I totally agree with your ideas. It’s tough to enjoy life when you don’t like yourself. Just be yourself. The key to success is being you.
Now wait. For the most part I am a passive person. Unless you mess with my family and friends. Then I can be all kinds of aggressive. I have only had to do that a few times in the blog world. Mainly because I cannot stand pretentious arrogant douch canoe who want to play bully.. ahem. The rest is gravy. I might add take lots of pics of your awesome kids to further verify the awesomeness that is you. After all kids get that from their momma.
Yeah, that totally makes sense. Sometimes you have to lay the smack down. I mean simultaneously though. Like in the same moment with the same person. Like when your husband is being annoying, and you want him to stop, but you don’t just say it. You instead don’t fold his underwear or something. That confusing sort of passive aggressive.
I’ve done that, just a drawer crammed full of loose undies (take that, in your face). Now, that would have me runnining to apologize…him…never even notced.
I do this. Make everyone else’s plate and not his and he thinks we just ran out of plates. Never sees it as my petty I’m not making your plate so there!
As for captcha, I agree, BUT there are a couple of blogs I adore and they seem to be unaware of how to get rid of it, what to use instead of it, etc. And #7 is progressing quite nicely for me. It wasn’t even a conscious decision; it has just taken a backseat.
Awesome tips! Especially the one about captchas. I mean, enough of that already. I like those little checkmark boxes better. At least they don’t take up extra time.
This is a brilliant list.
I have been having a hard time finding the stinking peace and quiet necessary to think on my own goals. They are hovering just out of reach and I swear to goodness. Even as I type, having carried the laptop into the “reading room” with me, a child has decided to come and stand behind me where the mirror cannot pick him up, so I cannot fix him with a look and make whisper sound effects.
I guess that is something I need to change in the new year.
There should be a sign posted outside of movie theaters saying those people are not allowed!
Interest and intriguing. Not to sure about the captcha part – I’ve had way to many spammer trying to leave fake comments with links to strange websites to avoid having that small safe guard.
Great great list. Ah captcha!!! Couldn’t agree more!!! There are some blogs I follow that still have it and when I go to comment I am quickly reminded why I never comment on their blog in the first place.
Man do I miss the movies! Someday I will be able to go again. At this point I would even deal with a talker in the movie, anything for a babysitter!