I use to track everything I did behind a number.
The number of days since I drank alcohol last
The number of days since I quit eating meat
How many years it has been since I smoked my last cigarette
The number days I wrote over one thousand words
Blog Post number… Whatever
But what I realize, at least for me, is that all of that counting does not matter because it reduces who I am or what I have done to a number not an identity.
I’m not saying that counting the days is always a bad thing. I believe at first it can be very helpful and encouraging. It can be a struggle to quite an addiction to drugs or alcohol or any negative action. Counting the days can prove to ourselves and others we have committed to a change in our lives, the higher the number the more significant the accomplishment.
But eventually the number becomes more of needless statistic. At what point does one stop counting is personal choice. I can not recall when I last counted that days since I ate my last piece of meat or smoked my final cigarette. (I counted the days religiously). Now, I say “I am a Vegan” or “I don’t smoke or I don't drink”
Like I said earlier, this is only my perspective right here and now as I reflect on the last few years of my life. I can not speak for anyone else.
I would like others perspective on this. What's your take on counting verse changing your speech patterns?