First post of 2018 and I am a week late with it! The reason? I was putting way too much pressure on myself to get it just right. I wanted it to be profound, purposeful…funny… maybe punny? (Because I am a dork like that).
But uggh…enough dragging…Let’s just do this!
Here’s the deal: My daily life is pure insanity. I know I mention that all the time on this blog, but hey, it’s my blog, my therapy… if you’re not feeling it, kindly close out and check your snaps instead.
If you’re sticking around, then I am going to share 3 phrases that help me survive every day:
- “It’s fine.”
- “I’ll figure it out.”
- “I don’t care.”
I use all 3 — often. And I’m taking them into 2018 to power-up and prioritize all of the shit I have coming at me (and when I say “shit” I mean that positively — I have lots of shit to deal with, but it’s aaaaallll good shit!!).
I digress.
So what is so effective about these 3 super nothing-special phrases? For me, they are universal, highly adaptable to most situations, and conclusive enough to get you over the hump of even the most challenging situations. Here are some examples:
“It’s fine.”
What I love about “It’s fine” is that it places all drama on hold. It is a quick way of saying that whatever the issue is, “it’s fine” and it “will be fine” and in the grand scheme of things “this too shall pass.” It is also a subtle tribute to my favorite topic: perspective. It can be used for fuck-ups great and small and even has use in the kitchen: “Hey, are you OK with having chicken for dinner?.” “Yup, It’s fine.”
“I’ll Figure it Out”
“I’ll figure it out“ is a polite way to say “leave me the fuck alone right now while I make a decision that you clearly are incapable of making.” And further, “I don’t want to take control of whatever this is that you have gotten us into, but since you are inept, guess what? ‘I’ll figure it out’ eventually.” Say this phrase often enough, and you’ll sound like a selfless doer who has no qualms about taking on more work and responsibility, when in fact, all you want is to avoid dealing with the issue at hand, and bury your face in your phone. Bravo! Now go figure it out…
“I don’t care”
This one is my definitive favorite. I caution you to use it carefully because — whoa! — you can really piss-off a lot of people. “I don’t care” is a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card bad-ass-mutha phrase that is about as honest as it gets. Use it when you need to take back power in any situation or just establish your limits. Use it when the annoying guy at work approaches your cube to talk weather, or when your friend calls with her third guy drama of the week, or just let the guy assembling your salad surprise you with which kind of cheese you want. You need cojones to use it, but once you do, it feels great… and the more you use it, the bigger the cojones grow, trust me!
The best part about these 3 phrases having dominated my every day vernacular is that it happened totally organically. One day, I was on the phone with my mom complaining to her about something, and I said “I don’t care” about 5x in succession. She started to laugh at me and it sort of became my catch phrase…the other two followed with time.
When I shared all 3 phrases with my friend a few weeks ago, she was laughing and said — you could make a game out of it. I bet you could pass an entire day just using those 3 phrases productively. So I guess that’s something I’ll have to try this year.
More importantly, I am bringing these 3 gems into 2018 to help me put myself first — hold up the proverbial “STOP” sign to all that I cannot take on, and buy me the time I need to figure it all out… whatever the it is!