GUS (Gave Up Smoking) is a community support diary for Kossacks in the midst of quitting smoking. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. If you are quitting or even just thinking of quitting, please join us! We kindly ask that politics be left outside. You can also click the GUS tag to view all diary posts, or access the GUS Library (the archived version for now).
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Most of us carry around a little inner voice with us everywhere we go. This little voice provides a sort of running dialogue-slash-commentary on our own lives and helps us with our decision-making: we ask ourselves questions and---most of the time, anyway---it's that little inner voice that provides the answers.
Now, sometimes those answers are helpful and sometimes they're not. For many of us, the little voice does have a tendency to be a little (or even VERY) self-critical (which is a whole 'nother issue), and our gut and sense of intuition can get in the way of hearing it sometimes.
But most of the time, it's useful. It can help us decide on or explain or rationalize our own day-to-day choices. It helps us self-regulate; it assists with our inner reality checks.
"Do I trust what this person is saying?"
"Do I really want to do this, or do I just want to want to do this?"
"Can I get away with doing X, as long as I do Y afterward?"
"Is that the best I can do?"
That last one's kind of tricky.
Because while most of the time we are doing the best we can, given the circumstances we face, if we're being entirely honest with ourselves, sometimes the answer to that question is "eh....probably not."
But don't lose hope! It might not be the best you can do, but it might be the best you can manage at the moment. Hell, maybe even the second-best you can manage. And y'know, sometimes it's just the least you can get away with and still live with yourself. All of those responses fall within the "normal" range for being a flawed human being, just like all the rest of us.
(Full disclosure: Not gonna lie, at least twice today my gut told me to go home, have a glass of wine, and take a nap on the sofa. Clearer heads prevailed and I stuck it out, but it could have gone either way there for a while. We all have days like that.)
But you know what? We can't all be going 100% at all time; it's just not realistic for most of us, especially those of us struggling with life-changing circumstances, behavioral changes, external stress of the work or health or family variety, or a host of other issues.
Despite what Oprah might have told you, we can't all be living our best lives all the time. (Sorry, Oprah.)
Sure, on occasion we are firing on all cylinders (and it feels pretty darn good when it happens), but a lot of the time? We just don't have the mental or physical energy to be all we can be. Sometimes we just have to settle for "good enough right now" and skip the beating-ourselves-up-for-it part---and as long as we don't get too comfy dwelling in that mindset, eventually that inner voice is going to come along again and give you the boost you need to really do the best you can with what you have.
Thanks once again to Common Sense Mainer for the diary idea!
Who's your little buddy?1BQ, 2thanks, 3rdGenFeminist, 417els, A Man Called Gloom, Abra Crabcakeya, Actbriniel, addisnana, AfroPonix, aishmael, Alise, Alpha99, also mom of 5, ambeeeant, American in Kathmandu, amk for obama, andsarahtoo, angry marmot, Anne933, anodnhajo, aoeu, AoT, aquarius2001, arcadesproject, Archie2227, arodb, Arthur Wolf (in memoriam), assyrian64, Aunt Acid, awkawk, b4uknowit, BadKitties, bamablue, BARAKABETH, barnowl, b barrie, bdizz, beatpanda, beefydaddy18, betterdemsonly, BFSkinner, bgblcklab1, BigAlinWashSt, Bike Crash, BirderWitch, BJKay, bleeding heart, blingbling65, blue husky, Blue Intrigue, bluedust, BluejayRN, BlueJessamine, BlueMississippi, Bluerall, bluestatedem84, BoiseBlue, Boston Beans, boudi08, Brahman Colorado, breedlovinit, BrenP, BrianParker14, Bronxist, broths, BrowniesAreGood, bsmechanic, Buckeye Nut Schell, buddabelly, Bugsydarlin, bumbi, BusyinCA, cactusgal, cagernant, Carol in San Antonio, CathiefromCanada, CathodeRay, CDH in Brooklyn, Cedwyn (in memorium), cee4, Cen Den, ChocolateChris, Christy1947, ChurchofBruce, ciganka, cinnamondog, citizenx, ClapClapSnap, claude, Cleante, Code Monkey, codobus, Coldblue Steele, Colorado is the Shiznit, coloradomomma, common green, Common Sense Mainer, congenitalefty, coppercelt, CwV, dadanation, Damnit Janet, dangoch, DarienComp, dauber, Dauphin, Dave in AZ, David54, deedogg, deha, demkat620, Dexter, Diana in NoVa, Dickie, DiegoUK, Dingodude, dirtdude, distraught, djMikulec, docreed2003, dolfin66, donnamarie, Donna O, dotsright, Dr Teeth, Dreggas, DRo, droogie6655321, Dube, duckhunter, Eclectablog, Eddie C, EdgedInBlue, edr, effervescent, elbamash, El barragas, el vasco, electricgrendel, entrelac, ericlewis0, Everest42, Ex Con, exiledfromTN, exlrrp, ExpatGirl, ezdidit, fat old man, fauve, fhamme, Fineena, fiona2, fishhawk, Flea, flumptytail, Friend of the court, fritzi56, FrugalGranny, Garrett, Gator, gchaucer2, GDbot, Geiiga, GenXangster, glpaul, gooderservice, gooners, Gordon20024, 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