The owl and the lark got married and in the afternoon they danced.
I had these words on the wall of my office where I saw couples for pre-marital counseling. It was a good reminder to compromise with my husband, the night owl, who doesn’t pop out of bed like toast from the toaster, which I do. Morning? I love it! Bring it on!It was also a reminder that in small ways, opposites attract. The miser may be initially attracted to the spender because it feels good to treat yourself. The homebody may like the adventurer’s spirit for a while. But eventually, we revert to our true selves and find opposites annoy more than attract.
Research has found that in most ways, opposites do not attract. We tend to find friends and spouses who match our age, political views, religiosity, levels of education, and typically IQ levels. Is this true of most of your friends? How about your spouse or long-term partner?
This time of year, we look to make changes in our life. We want to weigh less, save more, get organized, and spend more time with family and friends. We want to start a journaling or meditation practice to improve our mental and spiritual health. What’s on your list? Have you blown it already?
Look, if you wanted to write, you would probably already be doing it. How can you create a goal that honors who you are? How can you be more authentically you? I mean, if you like to write, join a writers’ group. If you prefer to express yourself in some other creative way, look for like-minded people. Sing in a community choir. Find a photography club.
If you don’t like running, maybe you like to dance. Try a Zumba class. And if you don’t like it, you don’t have to sign up a second time.
Gretchen Rubin wrote a great book, The Happiness Project. She spent a year trying new things for one month only. After reading the book, I followed her example. One of the things I did was write a novel. I liked writing so much, I now write a book every year. Another thing I tried was planking everyday for two minutes. Guess what I no longer do.
Try something new for a month. If you enjoy it, you’ll feel more authentic. And if you can find a group of people to do it with, people who enjoy the same thing as you, it’s a bonus.
