Albicocca – Mirella's Way

I recently wrote about perseverance.

After publishing that post, a friend of mine read it and we started a conversation about whether giving up on resolutions is a sign of a lack of perseverance or weakness. We came to the conclusion that it probably isn’t — at least not entirely.

It seems to me that the reason why we give up on a particular intention matters greatly. If we let go because a resolution has lost its meaning for us, has stopped being valuable or attractive, then there may be no need to continue pursuing it. The time and energy required to carry it out might turn out to be more valuable than achieving the goal itself.

However, if a resolution is still important to us and we can still see its value, then — in my opinion — it’s worth making the effort to continue, even when difficulties appear along the way.

Not every act of giving up is a failure — sometimes it is a conscious choice.

The same friend also shared with me some ways of practising gratitude on a daily basis. One of them is keeping a journal. I asked my daughter whether she would like to write down things we are grateful for together. She embraced the idea with great enthusiasm. She took out her favourite notebook, divided the page in half — she writes on one side, and I write on the other.

She also invited her dad to join in. One day my daughter and I write our gratitude notes together, and the next day her dad does it with her. In this way, the whole family takes part in practising gratitude.

So far, this method has been working very well. We do it in the evening, when we are calm and settled. It’s also a good moment to reflect on the day that has passed.

Lately, I’ve been thinking that this blog was meant to be about minimalism and sustainability, and for now it mostly serves as a space for gathering my thoughts and putting them in order.
And perhaps that’s exactly what I need at this moment.