Thursday, January 7, 2010

Small Adjustments

Happy New Year to everyone! With this, my first update of the New Year, I thought it was important to address the topic of resolutions. I am all for taking the opportunity to look back at the past year and seeing how I can improve my habits and attitudes and be a better person in the year to come. But what I notice is that many people (myself included) are overly ambitious with their goals and then within a couple of weeks or a month, we start feeling overwhelmed and we give up on our efforts.

I started thinking about the way that pilots (or autopilots) navigate their airplanes to remote destinations. It is not a straight line from point A to point B. There are hundreds of little corrections along the way. The plane's navigation system determines the flight path and then constantly recalibrates the plane's controls based on the current location, altitude, etc. Autopilots also improve fuel efficiency and passenger comfort, since the adjustments made by an autopilot are more subtle and accurate than those made by hand. It's similar to what happens to your GPS route when you accidentally take a wrong turn. Rather than berating you (wrong turn, idiot!) it simply reevaluates the course based on your current location.

So, my suggestion is this: rather than taking on unrealistic resolutions and then beating up on ourselves when we cannot live up to them, what about making some smaller, more reachable goals along the way? Instead of "New Year's" resolutions, what about "New Month" resolutions? At the beginning of each month, we have the opportunity to check in with ourselves, take stock of our current locations, or progress, and then make the necessary adjustments... without all of the guilt and drama.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. If you have something to add to the discussion, I invite you to visit my blog page and let me know what you think.

I will be heading to the Boston area in a couple of weeks to do concerts and services in Newton and Needham. So, if you or anyone you know is back East, please come out and say hi. Check the performance schedule below for more details.

In song,

Todd

5 comments:

Ellen Dreskin said...

Hi Todd - First a note to say that I enjoy reading your thoughts - happy new year to you and yours.
Vis a vis resolutions. I'm all for even smaller pieces - each day, each breathe gives us the opportunity to act with intention, to make a choice about our actions and our words. There is no reason that I cannot wake up each morning and resolve to do or say something differently or better than I did the day before. And don't give up - refining behavior takes time.
Here's to the new year and the new decade.

Rebecca Brewer said...

This is a little bit off the subject, but I was wondering if you have ever thought of offering spiritual workshops? Even though we have never even met, I always am centered after reading your posts. I think you are a spiritual leader, and would love to participate in a workshop with you if you ever thought to offer one. I can relate to your view of life and spirit, and think you have more to offer than just your music. FYI, I'm not even Jewish.

Rebecca Brewer said...

This is a little bit off the subject, but I was wondering if you have ever thought of offering spiritual workshops? Even though we have never even met, I always am centered after reading your posts. I think you are a spiritual leader, and would love to participate in a workshop with you if you ever thought to offer one. I can relate to your view of life and spirit, and think you have more to offer than just your music. FYI, I'm not even Jewish.

Todd Herzog said...

I agree with you, Ellen. We can definitely break it down into even further segments... I like to practice mindfulness meditation - watching each thought, and realizing that I can either empower it or let it go. Then I can decide who I want to be rather than simply being a product of my mind.

I am thinking of you and your family and sending you blessings for the New Year. I know this will be a much better year for you (and for all of us, hopefully) than the one that has just passed. I hope you are continuing to heal with each passing day.

Todd Herzog said...

Thank you for your feedback, Rebecca. I had not thought of leading spiritual workshops... although I suppose that teaching and living a kind of everyday spirituality through my music and my words is always my intention. I will keep you posted should any opportunities arise where we could learn from one another. I hope your New Year is off to a wonderful start...