shay

Because I am a compulsive list maker who has been (on multiple occasions) laughed at for adding grocery items with question marks after them (just in case they’re on sale), I wanted to document my 2010 resolutions so I don’t forget them after tonight’s wine.

Steph’s New Year’s resolutions for 2010:

* Floss at least twice a week (up from zero) with the cool generic water pik thing you spent money on last year.

* Meditate at least once a week, especially on the days you don’t want to.

* Start teaching regular classes at the gym again (bonus! just learned this is done already!  score!).

* Buy stock in Dunkin Donuts (or stop spending so much money there).

* Travel WAY more.  Use the money you earned on the DD stock or saved from making your own coffee.

* MOST IMPORTANT (potentially, though my dentist might disagree): Trust your gut.  When that burning sensation feels more nervous than optimistic, it’s your brain saying “Don’t talk yourself into this one.  It’s not going to be as cool as you (logically) think (or hope) it’ll be, so just move along. Nothing to see here.”  Pressing my luck in life by challenging my gut reactions has proved to result in whammies, mostly. So here’s to a year of big money instead.  (Figuratively speaking, though I would accept literal, too.)

“ONWARD, OPTIMISTICALLY, I SHALL CHARGE INTO THE NEXT DECADE,” Steph proclaimed.

Hey, Jack Donaghy is an ENTJ (probably).

As an Extravert, iNtuitive, Thinker, Judger (ENTJ) according to Myers-Briggs, I fall in the category of folks whose strengths include:

• Ability to see possibilities and implications
• Aptitude for creative problem solving
• Ability to examine issues objectively
• Understanding of complex issues

Woo-hoo!  I’m all set!  Except for the weaknesses, which include:

• Impatience with others who are not as quick as me
• Brusqueness and lack of tact and diplomacy
• Tendency toward hasty decision-making

Err, ok not as cool.  But seriously, what’s incredible is that almost without fail, these are the types of things that have turned up on my various performance reviews.  The confidence and trust that comes with my strengths is in direct conflict with the impatience and occasional didn’t-choose-my-battle-wisely occurrences of my weaknesses.

But because I rather enjoy organizing and perfecting systems to be efficient (I mean, check out my pristine, color-coded closet… or not), the same holds true for myself–I recognize these competing characteristics in me, so I’m consistently analyzing my decisions and behaviors to take inventory of the less-than-stellar ones and make better ones instead.  Sometimes I get *real* exhausted and admire people who can just seamlessly blend into the responsibilities and expectations of a job or relationship… without even a smidge of analysis (or so it seems).  While I’m speculating on whether I’m in the right place in life, they’re thinking about what to have for lunch.  While I’m asleep and dreaming of conversations at work, they’re dreaming of sugar plums.

What are sugar plums, anyway?

I wonder how other ENTJ’s deal with what I assume are similar characteristics… and I wonder what additional outlets beyond aerobics, piano, and writing are necessary to help quench the fire of impatience in my gut.  Maybe I just need a couple more Christmas holidays every month year to disconnect, because MAN those are fine…