That's it. Nothing too
earth shattering. The mug pretty much says it all.
Over the Christmas break, I
came across a simple concept quite by accident. Read something that talked
about not making yet more lofty New Years Resolutions, only to break them. They suggested that instead … find a slogan
and make it your own for the coming year.
Not sure how this one came to be but it seems to fit.
Every day I wake up with at least half a dozen things vying for
my attention before I head off to work. Maybe
you’ve heard of the expression, “Don’t let the good things in life get in the
way of the great things.” Well – that
happens in my house … a lot. More than it should.
There are a myriad of good
causes or good things I can be doing that take my time. Yet, the really great
things get put on the back burner - great things, like my family. I mean … we only have so much time and so much
energy. Something has to give. Often it’s the things that shouldn’t. I can’t begin to tell you how many really wonderful
things I’ve been involved in over the years. Many of which have unintentionally
put my family in the long line of my commitments. How many times have I gotten up with the
intention of getting some things done that would make the day go so much better
… only to fritter away time and get side tracked on “time wasters”. The things
that (in my mind) are why I got up in the first place get pushed aside or
rushed through.
So now … FIRST THINGS
FIRST – beginning with that pot of coffee! Actually … my morning MUST DO list has
recently become pretty consistent. I initially took some time to think about
what was not negotiable and made it my MUST DO list. It’s not a long list but now it’s the things
that need to be done first. The “good
stuff” may or may not get done but that’s ok … maybe some of them weren’t all
that good anyway. Long lists usually
doom you to failure …. short lists are just a little more do-able.
This can be applied
throughout the day, too. Often you’ll
have a list of things to go through – figure out what the top one or two things
are and keep your eye on the goal. You
can’t do it all but make sure that the more important things are the
Firsts. Now – this all seems pretty
obvious don’t you think? It’s amazing
how the really obvious things in life aren’t so obvious when you are in a rut
or are feeling like the walls are closing in on you (you know that can’t see
the trees for the forest mentality?) So
when you find yourself getting stressed because too much is on your plate –
take a second and say to yourself, “What’s FIRST?” When you take a minute to stop and focus on that….you are forcing yourself
to find some clarity. I know that setting
priorities isn’t always easy when it seems everyone around you has their own
agenda. Before you know it, you find yourself clenching your teeth trying to
please everyone and making yourself crazy trying to make it all work. It’s not
hard to lose your perspective and your sense of humour. You don’t always get a
say in some things, that’s for sure. But,
every once in a while, there are those moments when your calm and focus can have
an impact and give direction to others, as well. We all know, we can’t do a
whole lot about other people’s actions or re-actions … just our own. That’s a very good place to start, isn’t it?
I have started keeping a small
notebook that I leave in plain view – it’s a reminder of the day’s priorities
and anything else I need to be thinking about. I circle the top two priorities
for my day. They get done – it’s very
intentional and I make myself do it. Often the rest get done but for sure the
top few do! In the margin, the little
words, 1st Things 1st
gets scribbled. This notebook goes to work with me and it comes home with
me. It sits on the seat of my car. It gets left on my kitchen counter and then
on my night table. I’m one of those people that can get side-tracked by a gum
wrapper so my little book serves as a good reminder for me.
It’s interesting that when
you start a blog (or journal) you quickly realize how many others have chosen a
similar path. Then, there are those that roll their eyes and say, “Blog? Really?
I WISH I had THAT kind of time!” or “I’m very private … I have no interest
in airing my business.” That’s fine,
too. This isn’t about them. It’s about me.
From what I can tell, for
a lot of those out there, it’s about self-discovery, having a more sane life, searching
for meaning, re-shaping ideas due to a bad or sad experience, wanting to make a
difference, etc. I guess it’s different
for everyone and yet, maybe not. Seems
to me the thread they all share is change
of some sort. Now, I am not a proponent of change for the sake of
change. If it’s not broke, what the heck
…. why waste your time. But change (big
or little) that plays a part of bringing about peace, joy, happiness, meaning …
it’s all good. At least for me. I’m also
not advocating that others do it my way or even doing it at all. My 55 challenges
are really just little changes that are meant to re-shape how I am personally
walking through life.
This life can be a long
walk when you have your head in the wrong place or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Which
brings me back to some initial thoughts in my introduction … sometimes it’s the
little things that can play some part in shifting our thinking, kicking up our
energy level, dragging us down, picking us up, making us crazy or angry or even
giving us a different perspective. I do see that when I get off track or let other things
take priority over my day, my day DOES NOT go well. Things do come up, for sure but it’s still
important to make the time to do lst Things lst. Replaying my little slogan in my head from
time to time reminds me where I should be.
Since my Lent Challenge, I
have discovered that learning self-discipline is hard but not impossible. Doing
something repeatedly until it becomes ingrained in you takes baby steps. Cutting yourself some slack when you mess up
is important … change takes time and lots of attempts before it becomes
something you will do well or routinely.
My challenge this week - to
stay on top of taking care of the things that set the stage for my day. If this
sounds like something that you need to address – take the challenge and spend
some quiet time figuring out what your daily top priorities could or should be. Maybe just start with one priority. See that it gets met. Add a few more as you feel success with the
one. Some may be a daily priority … some may be the priority for only that
day. Whatever it is … it’s very
satisfying to know you’ve accomplished something that makes a difference to
you. Remember: a journey begins with the
first step.
Food for Thought: You’ll
never hit the target if you don’t know where it is or even what it is.
Hope
to see you next week when I address my
96
oz. of the Good Stuff Challenge
