When Little Things Matter

Hey, thanks for stopping to read this. I’ve been a little sporadic lately, the posts haven’t been going up twice a month as I had promised. And for that, I apologize.
Like millions of other people, I did my level best to be bullet-proof.
But I’m not.

It really hit me after graduation.

It’s like being busy all day long and doing chores, or answering phones, or staying fully present for you family. Then, at the end of the day, after lights out, if you don’t fall immediately asleep from exhaustion, it’s just you and your thoughts.

Most insomniacs don’t lie awake at night counting their blessings.

Those kinds of nights make the next day a rough start.
Instead of leaping out of bed, seizing the day wringing out every drop of life, inertia takes over. After weeks of watching my “To Do” list get longer, writing dozens of blog post starts but not finishing I needed something to change.

Based on Seth Godin [ship on time] and theatre lovers [the show must go on] I know how important it is to stick to a schedule, keep promises, and be reliable. My mission to make this world a little brighter, encourage others, and make literary dreams come true is no small thing. When I drop the ball, I disappoint you. What finally turned it around for me was something so small, that I wouldn’t have believed it could work.

Instead of writing a “To Do” list, I started a “Done” list. It went like this:

I got out of bed. Check.
Had prayer time. (My day isn’t going in a good direction if I don’t call on Divine Intervention) Check.
I took my supplements and ate breakfast. Check, check.
I made my bed. Check.
Hey, look! I’ve already got a great start on the day.
With these small wins, I felt a little more empowered.
I connected with two people on a networking site. (Check x2) Sent a revision to a client (check) and now I was on a streak. I wrote several posts (this was one of them!)
I even squeezed in a couple of mitzvot.

So what does this mean for you?

You don’t have to be a person of faith to have an Epiphany (although I highly recommend it!). What it requires is knowing yourself and being honest in your less-than-glorious moments. It means really looking at what isn’t working. What is at its core? Then, what can you do to flip it on it’s head, or reverse engineer it so that you can move forward?

Beating myself up for all I wasn’t getting done didn’t work, I already felt bad. I had to accept that something that had always worked wasn’t working anymore. I extended kindness to myself by being patient and working with whatever I had to give that day. And it was okay. For me, the “Done List,” for you, a different but equally brilliant idea.

And whatever struggle you’re going through, it won’t last forever. We’re in a season.
Some days will be better than others.