Yet I have learned not only to accept it but need it. I've never been good with criticism or correction. I like to play Lone Ranger a lot. I never outgrew the two-year-old mantra, "I can do it myself." But one thing getting older does for you is teach you a couple things, one of which is, no, I can't. The other is, if I want to do it myself and actually get it done, it helps a lot to have someone around to kick me in the butt.
Now, I prefer to choose those people myself. The position is still not open for anyone to apply. Folks who like to randomly correct others should generally just, not.
My kids hold me accountable. "Mom, you really shouldn't have said that." And that's OK. They're usually right. Since they possess quite a bit of their mother in them, however, plus the commonality of teenagerdom, this is not a reciprocal arrangement. I am not allowed to make them aware of their own mistakes. They do not, obviously, make any.
My husband, honestly, not so much. I prefer to keep that relationship more lover/friend than teacher/parent. The latter does not work for me. And he gets reminded of that every so often.
Real friends--the kind who are not perfect themselves and therefore will never say to me, "Well, how many times have you done that now?" qualify. My pastor can keep me accountable. My colleagues. And that's pretty much the short list.
Why now? Because it's way more important to me now that the things I want to do, the dreams I have not realized, the growth I'd like to flourish, really happen than that I preserve my pride. So, I'm working on a proposal. And you can hold me to it.
As to the twenty pounds I'm working on . . . well, you might want to tread lightly there. The list is even shorter.
What helps you get that kick you need every so often?
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