More Thoughts on “Including That”
In these past weeks I’ve been playing with July’s theme, “I think I’ll include that,” watching all the ways it seems easy for me to include things, and feeling a bit sheepish about the ways I push against things that just are.
This past week, I had another chance to notice this. On Fridays, I often have an idea that I’m going to get up and kick some major business butt. Show my to-do list whose boss. Spend luxurious, uninterrupted hours on a work project. Shuffle out of bed, grab the coffee, and spend quality time at my desk, doing something meaningful.
Then Friday rolls around and I accidentally sleep in. And remember I need to water my plants, who’re looking droopy. Oh, and make the almond hummus I drooled over the recipe for earlier this week. And that doesn’t include the dishes, laundry, feeding the dog and cat, or exercising, all of which are necessary if I want to stay healthy and sane, and have some fun in the process.
Of course, back on the solo entrepreneur front, which is ostensibly the focus of the day, there are emails to answer, phone calls to make and return, social media to check on, a newsletter to write, all of which is tricky if I do even half of the other things I was thinking about.
The thing is, I know I’m not alone in this. I’m not saying this happens every Friday, yet I am saying this happens. And when you’re self-employed, this is the kind of things that can make you feel like you’re not on it, not making progress, or don’t know what you’re doing.
Which couldn’t be further from the truth. As much as you may want to *crush it*, that isn’t the energy of every day, nor is it necessary. There are plenty of ways to get things done, move projects forward, and stay spacious. It’s all about your attitude, and approach.
In that spirit, this past Friday I decided to call it a day at 3, and turn my attention from work to the plants, and the hummus.
It wasn’t defeat; far from it. It was a recognition that I’d done one good work thing for the day. Even though that thing felt small, when I stood back and looked at what I’d accomplished, it seemed pretty good.
I had included all the other thoughts, ideas, options, hopes, and dreams for the day rather than push against them. It’s freeing, being with what is, including it, and enjoying the spaciousness it generates.
From this point of view, the day was a success, and that’s good enough.
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What about you, do you ever have days like this? How do you handle them? What if you were to include all that is in your day and thinking – do you have a sense something might shift, for the better?
Remember that including something isn’t an endorsement, it’s simply a statement of fact. It’s freeing, allowing you to take the next step with clarity and ease.
Take a look back at this past week and see what you can include, and breath a sigh of relief for the permission it grants the week to come.
