Myspace blog from January 1, 2008

So, on one of my ventures this past week to check out some after holiday sales I managed to find a used copy of The Good Girl.

A really great Jennifer Aniston movie that I watched awhile back and forgot about. I decided to watch it yesterday while I did a whole lot of nothing. I realized how great it actually is and it got me to thinking…

Basically, the general idea of the movie is that Justine, a small town woman, is faced with a big decision: she has to choose between the boring life she already knows and hates and a new life of adventure and uncertainty with a younger, more intense man. At the end of the movie, she ends up deciding to stay with her husband and keeping the job that she hates even though it isn’t what she wants.

I like how this movie has a realistic ending that isn’t tragic. Even though Justine didn’t do what she had always dreamed of doing and what would make her happy, it was still a relatively happy ending. It shows how as humans, we often struggle with the idea of change. When facing a life-altering decision we tend to go with the one that will be the least disruptive to life as we know it. Too often, it is a lot easier to deal with life the way it is and a lot more difficult to open ourselves up to change and uncertainty. To attempt something new and accept the possibility of failure is a terrifying thing.

I find myself making decisions this way quite often and that bothers me. I am very resistant to change and uncertainty. To leave myself open to the possibility that I will fail at something or be unhappy because of a decision is very scary. I think that in the end, this is a major source of unhappiness for me.

I need to take more risks and see where it gets me. I can think of several situations at this very moment where taking a risk could really get me somewhere. Definitely some food for thought.