Tendencies

I have a tendency to bite my fingernails when I'm anxious.

I have a tendency to let my laundry pile up until I don't have any clean clothes left.

I have a tendency to want to learn ad infinitum before taking action.

I have a tendency to check my Facebook page too often.

I have a tendency to get really excited about starting something new and then quit shortly after I get going.

I have a lot of tendencies.  You probably do, too.

The trick, though, is to realize that they're just tendencies --things that are historically true about me and my behavior-- and not absolute definitions of who I am and what I'm destined to always do.  This is an important fact to realize for two reasons.

First, I need to understand that I have the freedom to break away from my tendencies and act differently.  At any given moment, I can do something new and unpredictable and the Tendency Police aren't going to show up at my door and drag me away.  I absolutely can do my laundry before it gets out of control or stop chewing my nails 'til they bleed because there's nothing set in stone that says I have to or that I always will.

Second, I need to understand that just because I have a tendency toward something doesn't necessarily make it a bad thing.  True, the time-lapse between having an idea and getting started on a project is longer for me than most people, but I'm typically far better prepared and get better results quicker than most people, too.  And, yes, there are countless examples of new hobbies I dumped money into and then let fall to the wayside, and I can't even tell you how many promises I've made that I later went back on, but I'd rather start and not finish something than never get off the bench at all.

So, with that in mind, I'm announcing a new 'blog I've started over on Tumblr.  Ultimately, the idea was to have a collaborative-something-or-other with The Illustrious BRT, but the first step seems to be us joining a community together and starting out (initially, at least) with our own respective pages.

I can't help but feel like I'm giving up on another fruitless effort in my life or solidifying some truth about myself; like I always give up or I never finish what I start.  The long-form answer has something to do with particle physics and the use of superlatives being an automatic indicator of a lie.  The simple answer is that I've learned a lot from this over the last year or so and all I'm really doing is picking up stakes and moving on to the next thing.  It's okay to do that.  People often do.

I love you all.  See you on Tumblr!