Spring Cleaning Preconceptions

3 Life-Changing Realizations

1. Last summer I took up running, something I'd never imagined enjoying, and discovered I like it.
2. I recently admitted I hate staying up late; one of my biggest luxuries is being in my fabulously comfortable bed by 10pm. 
3. One day, while swimming laps at the local pool, I realized mid-stroke, mid-lap, that I hated swimming laps. My whole life revolved around aquatics from age 12 to 25, but that day I knew–and admitted to myself–that I hated swimming laps.

All these life-improving realizations occurred as the result of spring-cleaning my assumptions. When I looked at them in the daylight of honesty and self-recognition, I realized some habits of thought and action were either erroneous or outdated.

It was a lot of work (and will need regular updates). I had to pull all the preconceptions out of my mental closet, examine and retest each one, and throw a whole lot away. Sometimes it seems that the more I get to know myself, the less I know myself. 

But this work is valuable. It's a way to refresh the mind, focus on what enriches life, and make space for new experiences.