Labor Day 2015

9-7-15

What I Want

Most days, I feel as if I do things I have to do or need to do. If I'm fortunate, there is precious little time left over and I might get to do something I want to do. 

Have to do, Need to do. Want to do. 

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to assign all of our daily doings into one of the three categories AND be able to control which category is the biggest/best/longest/has the most tasks in it? It occurs to me that our perspective influences where we might place tasks. For example, something I HAVE to do might also be or easily become something I WANT to do if only I made a slight adjustment in my perspective. Just as easily, something I NEED to do could become something I WANT to do as well---if I tweak my perspective just a bit. 

Allow me to elaborate: those of you who know me have probably heard me say that I would love to retire from work (all work) and my follow-up thought to that is usually that, alas, I still enjoy eating and having a house to live in, so retiring from work is not an option. When I was teaching, towards the end of my career, many people would inquire, "when are you going to retire?" (Subtext: it is time for you to retire!). There is value in knowing when it is time to jump ship and paddle to a new safe harbor. There is value in knowing when it is time to walk away from something that seems safe and secure into unchartered territory and new adventure. Not only is there value, at times, there is necessity in doing so. In my life, I was given new opportunity at the point in which I proved my willingness to do whatever it took to get the job done. I grabbed opportunity when I had to, made it work, and was rewarded with new and better opportunity. Did it require stepping away from my comfort zone? Yes. More than once. Does it continue to require my stepping out of my comfort zone? Most definitely. Almost daily. I am continuing to learn and grow and do things I didn't imagine I would do. I make mistakes. I move forward. I stretch my mind and my abilities and they expand. I give it all I have and I trust that the factors over which I have no control will, eventually, fall in my favor. 

For now, I am where I have to be, where I need to be, and where I want to be. The tasks that come with each day are mine to place in whatever category I see fit. My perspective allows each task to be something I WANT to do, if I will let it. The difference between a day I dread and one I look forward to is, truly, in my mind. I have the ability to control that. Why wouldn't I make that work for my good? 

For this Labor Day, everything is going in the WANT to category. If I don't want to do something, I'm not doing it. Maybe I'll have to ask a follow-up question, but I will eventually get the task to the WANT to category: do I want to wash clothes? Not really, but I do want clean clothes this week, so now I do want to wash clothes. Do I want to exercise? Not particularly, but I really like how I feel after I do, so now I want to. Do I want to eat on plan? Would rather eat a big'ol dessert but I want to feel as good as possible when I get on that scale at the cardiologist's office this week, so now I want to stay on plan. Do I want to wash dishes? Heck no, but I like it when I have clean ones so I want to make sure that happens. 

Ask the follow-up question and keep asking it until you find out what you really want. Then go get that. It might take some practice. We'll get there.

Happy Labor Day.