For when you’re annoyed
Oh, hi friends!
I was so overwhelmed yesterday afternoon that I did what I always do: I plopped face down on the bed and closed my eyes.
After a little while, I got up and decided to do one thing.
Just one thing.
That meant ignoring everything else: emails, opportunities, texts, other work, Twitter.
You have to shut out all the competing interests for your attention.
Just one thing.
You know what? It worked.
I finished one thing. Of course, it wasn’t everything, but focusing on putting one task behind me felt a lot better than stewing among possibilities and doing nothing.
Just one thing today, right now, this morning.
"When stumped by a life choice, instead of asking, 'Will this choice make me happy?' instead ask, 'Will this choice enlarge me or diminish me?'
“We’re terrible at predicting what will make us happy: the question swiftly gets bogged down in our narrow preferences for security and control. But the enlargement question elicits a deeper, intuitive response. You tend to just know whether, say, leaving or remaining in a relationship or a job, though it might bring short-term comfort, would mean cheating yourself of growth.”
From this very good column by Oliver Burkeman about living a fulfilled life.
I came back to this question a few times this week and it clarified some circumstances — maybe it will for you, too?
At the end of this long-but-short week don't we all just want to be swaddled like this juvenile yellow-crowned night heron? But this lil' guy also stands tall! On his spindly legs! He can be swaddled and strong. Be the night heron! PS — The Wild Bird Fund is my favorite part of Twitter. (h/t Colin, who else?)
This has been a wild few days for Do It For Yourself! Amazon is getting a new shipment, we're backordered on the indie bookstores, and are going into a second printing. Beyond my wildest dreams — thank you all so much for your support and for making this a wonderful week.
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Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara