Recently I have had some moments where there has been a sense of overwhelm. My vision for my life and work is considerable. More than I have ever allowed myself.
Because of my commitment to life harmony, another first is that it touches every part of my life. The vision includes my health and fitness; the work I want to do in the world; and, the daunting task of finishing and launching my next book.
Each of them matters. Each represents a valued priority in my vision and purpose at this season of my life.
I am no stranger to taking on more than seems reasonable. I thrive on the impossible deadline. The pressure of more to do than time to do it keeps my performance at its peak. But lately, it’s been different. I started to feel an internal shift saying “enough”. But I know it’s not the right message. The message needs to shift. Because my “why” is very powerful and there can be no compromise allowed. There is an art piece in my office that says this: “If we did all the things we were capable of doing we would literally astonish ourselves.” No author is credited and I’ve never found a claim for it but those words challenge me every day. Every day I am driven to astonish myself!
As I’ve thought about this it became clear that when we begin to feel overwhelmed, it is undoubtedly because we begin to focus on the distance we have to travel to the “end” vs. the actual work. In this season of life what I have come to know is this: There is no end. There is only now and next. I can’t tell you or myself what the “end” of this work looks like. And within that realization is the miracle.
So when we feel that overwhelm for doing “enough”, let’s shift it to “enough for the day”. We only need enough for the day because we must stay hungry. We must stay motivated. Most importantly, we must continue to put our faith in our promise and not in our current provisions. We stagnate when we look too long at what we have instead of what we are capable of becoming. A part of that miracle is also that our promise is never limited because we continue to grow.
A mindset shift. A shift that keeps us on the “edge of what’s next” every day. By doing enough for the day. Knowing tomorrow brings its own work. And it will be good. It is stunning to realize that within each of our days there lies a snapshot of our life. That means every day we can claim that: “Today will be my best day.”
Live today like you want tomorrow to be. Live well.
