Easily Entertained

There are many characteristics that we find admirable in a person. We admire wit, intelligence, grace, determination, ambition, style, choice in sweaters (or one's choice not to wear them), quality of smile, robustness of girth, and many more.

But one which is more often overlooked is the ability to be easily entertained. In essence, it is to be able to be satisfied with the trivial, silly, inane, or perhaps slapstick of life. It is to get over one's depth for the sake of good old shallowness. It is the joy to be found in the superficial (I think a lot of women can relate to this). So that no one feels slighted let me give some examples: pictures of puppies and kittens, flower arrangements, cell phone games (like bejeweled), reading comics, jumping in leaves, eating raw cookie dough, writing nonsensical poetry and/or blogs, watching pet fish, staring at a freshly painted wall, psychoanalyzing your sane friends, crossword puzzles, and bingo.

Now you may recall that I have written about our tendency to distract ourselves almost endlessly with distraction and how that can be bad. However, this case is slightly nuanced. To be able to entertain oneself with the trivial is a survival mechanism. It's not something we do to avoid the big questions, but rather something we do in the mean time. For instance, at a dinner party you're not going to go up to some random person you've never met and say, "Do you believe life begins at conception?" You most likely will start of with, "That gravy is delicious, reminds me of my mom's home cooking." Then of course you can take that start into a conversation about your inner-child, but most likely it will stay on the level of un-intrusive triviality.

My point is that a self-contained person is a good person. If you can entertain yourself with little stuff, you are healthy. It does not mean you are forever trapped in a puddle of meaninglessness, but it means you have the tact and relaxed enough attitude to splash and find joy in the puddle without calling that same puddle into question, or ceasing to believe there is an ocean. 

So friends, let us frolic. 

Setting Goals

Setting goals is an important thing to do to stay focused. 

And, while most people would probably agree with that statement, few actually do it consistently. Some people only set goals or "resolutions" just prior to the new year. But, goals can be set at any time of the year, month, week, or day. And, even if it's just a prioritized 'to-do' list, that is still something.

For the day-to-day stuff I write to-do lists. For the month-to-month and year-to-year stuff I write more general goal lists. And, of course I'm not 100% on everything, but it does provide me with a framework and good motivation to get off my butt and do things.

However, something important to remember about goals is to make sure they are not vague. Specificity makes them more real to us. Instead of being an unrealistic fantasies with no specified 'how to,' where, or when, goals need to be realistic, well-planned, and dated. For example, instead of saying, "I will lose ten pounds," one should say, "I will go to the gym every monday, wednesday, and friday, and run every morning before work, and aim to lose 10 pounds in a month." In such a way the goal is not mere ambition, but also is coupled with a plan to bring it to fruition.

So, as you may have guessed, I wrote down some goals today. They are all self-improvement related because I believe that I am the only person I can will to change. But, that doesn't mean you shouldn't do likewise. It's your call though. No arm twisting here.

PS - I'm sorry if this post bored you, and you "knew this stuff already."