What's New Wednesday: A New Perspective

Today's post was supposed to be about a super, fabulous DIY bracelet that my friend Carter and I assembled. BUT...it turned out to be a Pinterest disaster: a Pintrosity (thanks for the head's up about that blog, Amanda!)

Below is what the bracelet was supposed to look like. Easy enough, right?

This is what we created. I know what you are thinking? WHAT? Believe me, after an hour of trying to make this look somewhat wearable, we decided that this might not be in the cards for us.

Lesson learned. Need smaller nuts and thicker string. Always the issue, right?

So, I decided to have a new perspective. I recently read, reviewed and discussed for my teen services book club, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. While the book itself was a bit new agey and preachy for my taste, the four agreements really struck a chord.

1. Be Impeccable to Your Word: speak with integrity; in simple terms, don't gossip
2. Don't Take Things Personally: nothing others do is because of you
3. Don't Make Assumptions: communicate with others as clearly as you can
4. Always Try Your Best: simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

Agreement two provides me the most challenge as I take EVERYTHING personally. I'm a sensitive soul and lately my communication has been off.

So one of my dearest volunteers facilitated this discussion with my only all-girl classroom (oh wait, there is now one boy!), and she provided each of us a rubber band to dawn on our wrist as a reminder to uphold (or try our best to uphold) the four agreements. I have since bequeathed my rubber band to a student who lost hers (the next day even...teenagers! hehe) but I decided to take the string dedicated for my awesome bracelet and tie it as a reminder to not gossip; realize that the things people say and do has nothing to do with me; never make assumptions about...anything; and try my best.

This is just a little thing I'm working on: perspective.