Have you ever known anyone that seems to effortlessly float through life with things that seem to fall into their lap – money, great relationships and family, talents and accomplishments – and yet they don’t seem to have to work too hard for it?
While I can say that I’ve met some people that seem this way on the surface, I think everyone struggles internally for those things of value that they have in their life, some more than others. For some people money comes easily and relationships do not. For others great relationships come easy, yet financial health is a constant struggle.
I do know some people that are enormously talented in creative areas, and yet can barely keep the tactical portions of their life together. I also know some highly intelligent people that you would think with all of their capabilities would merely glide through life, and yet they can’t seem to pay their bills on time.
For me, I have mostly scratched, clawed and labored my way through life on so many levels, until a little more than three years ago when I began to discover a different way of doing things. I discovered that when something seems so hard that I can barely bring myself to do it, then it’s probably because that’s not what I’m supposed to be doing. It’s not that I don’t know how to do that thing or haven’t done it before. It might even be something I’ve done hundreds of times before and have always found enjoyable, but for today, I just can’t do it. These types of things I now set aside for another time, if not forever.
Conversely, I’ve discovered that those things that seem so freeing and joyous are where I need to be spending my attention, like writing this weekly blog.
I realize this idea will boggle the mind of those that run their lives by task lists and prioritization, and believe me I’m one of those people. Yet, there’s a balance that can be struck between those very essential things in life like paying the bills, taking out the trash, cooking dinner, grocery shopping, getting our cars fixed, or making an appointment to see the dentist, with directing our attention to where our passions want to flow.
Some would say, “Strike while the iron is hot.” I would say, that when our passion is flowing is when we will produce our greatest work, and when we produce our greatest work the world will stop and take notice, which is when the good stuff in life starts coming our way in sizable portion.
A lesson I too often forget, but one that I couldn’t agree more with. Thanks for the reminder
Thank you for thinking way out of the box! You are an inspiration!
Interesting, I was discussing this very topic yesterday with my roommate while we walked our dogs. She was more pro – do “it” only when the inspiration is there, and I was counterpointing with an alternative view. I had a good example up my sleeve.
I had a friend in Australia named, Sabina, whom for about four years that I know of, would come to every social gathering with her tin flute and play such things as, When the Saints Come Marching In, and Puff the Magic Dragon. One day I had the courage to tell her my thoughts about always subjecting us to her practicing and her extremely poor selection of songs. Years later I was at a wonderful party that invited guest musicians to play. Sabina got on stage and literally brought me to tears with the exquisite beauty of her flute playing. Afterwards I went up to her with my profound apologies from years gone by and gave her much praise! She smiled and said to me, “Well it took all those years of diligent practice to get to where I am now!”
Great story Kathy. Thanks for sharing.
It’s difficult to distinguish between feeling that something is hard because we are honing our craft, making our piece better, smoothing the edges or doing the tedium, versus doing a thing which feels hard because it is no longer serving our highest good. Or to state it another way, that “thing” that’s become hard is no longer a reflection of our purpose.
I agree that it is important to listen to yourself when you are struggling with something that is tough, unpleasant, or just near-impossible to force ourselves to do. Sometimes it’s just a tough step in a journey towards something better and more rewarding, and sometimes it’s a wakeup call that we should be working towards something different altogether.
Well said Jensen. Thanks for commenting.