Day 361: "We find the defendant guilty!"

"I can't believe I ate the whole thing."  "You ate it, Ralph."  Remember that commercial?  Overindulgence that led to indigestion.  This time of year our overindulgence's typically lead to guilt.  And as the year winds down and we reflect on the shortcomings of our intentions many of us will suffer those same feelings of guilt over the things we should've done or shouldn't have done.  

It's safe to say many of us ate too much, drank too much, and spent too much during this past month.  And that was just during the holidays.  I'm sure there were plenty of less than stellar things we've done throughout the year that we would've thought better of after the fact but guilting ourselves over yesterday's spilt milk is about as useful an activity as counting the calories of those six cinnamon rolls AFTER we ate them.  There is absolutely NOTHING useful about guilt.  Now don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying you shouldn't feel any remorse for something you've done wrong.  You do need to make amends with those you've wronged even if that person is you.  There are those that like to swim in the deep end of the guilt pool and they're what I like to call the pity party planners.  "Oh I'm sorry.  I'm such a horrible person."  Blah blah blah.  They're the ones that rant over and over about how bad they feel over something but do little to correct the situation, or more importantly, themselves.

Now for the obsessive compulsives guilt can be a bit of a motivator.  Just ask any serious runner.  One time I actually made myself run one mile for every bread stick I had at the Olive Garden.  That was a long 18 mile run.  But the difference here is accountability.  We tend to confuse the two.  Guilt is a great inhibitor.  It drains you of your self-esteem, it convinces you that you're a worthless person and pretty much keeps you locked in your tracks.  Accountability, on the other hand, is an acknowledgement that we need to atone for the shortcomings in our behaviors.  It's a starting point for action.  Energies are focused on righting the wrong rather than bemoaning the error.  I can't say whether it's a healthy practice or not but I like to keep my little guilt nuggets just as a reminder that I always have opportunities to better myself and to use them to establish boundaries to my behaviors.

So as we look back over yesterday's festivities don't waste a lot of time feeling guilty over it.  Just acknowledge that they happened and that from here on out you have a plan to right your ship.  We may have plowed through several helpings of that prime rib, mashed potatoes, a couple bottles of wine and Lord knows how many slices of pie but instead of wallowing in guilt make a choice to do something better for yourself.   Perhaps you can restart your exercise program or go for more walks.  Hey, when you're out and about running errands consider parking at the far end of the parking lot.  The key here is just make an effort, no matter how small.  Remember guilt is what tells us we suck and the truth is you ARE a very special, unique and amazing person.  God would create nothing less.