MAWMonday Motivators 04/02/2017

by: Dr. Michael A. Wright In Blog, Coaching DiaryTagged , ,

5-Point Reminder About Development Over Doing

With a long list of tasks, the end of March looming, and a few fires to extinguish this week, I found myself in that familiar place of overwhelm. You know that feeling that no matter how much you get done, you never really get anything done. Seemingly, the ToDo list from yesterday continues to expand. You check off one thing, and you realize that you have 3 other tasks that you failed to list.

As difficult as it is to allow, I am reminded after these moments of panic that life is not about doing. Life is about learning and development. I remind myself that I am achieving. I am completing tasks. But, more importantly that the tasks, I am gaining new experience. If you can just meditate on that reality, you will know the value you bring to the home, the board room, and the civic space.

Twitter is with me. Focus on the learning and development. You will confirm what is most important, and you will get more done.

1. Improve

Every day offers an opportunity. But, let’s switch your thinking around. Instead of doing what many of us are trained to do, thinking about what you have to DO today, consider what you will learn today. What skills, insights, perspectives will you develop today? Take a moment in the morning and meditate on that new learning. Sure, you still have a list of tasks to accomplish. But, recognize what you gain beyond the check mark of completion. That benefit lasts and builds for the next activity. Your awareness of this process activates experience developing wisdom. You improve with each meditation.

2. Compared to What

Life is difficult. But, as this tweet suggests, you may be a bit oblivious in this act of comparison. My advice to my children, given when they face challenging tasks, is appropriate here as well. Remove the word “hard” from your vocabulary concerning tasks. Make it a question by replacing it with the word “how.” Life isn’t hard. Life is how?

“Hard” seems compared to death or not living or despair. “How” is compared to other’s experiences, examples, or evidence. The challenge is one of search, research, discovery, application, and evaluation. The endeavor is much more scientific than emotional. Your exhaustion will be of mental energy replenished by rest and reflection rather than life force diminishing the will to persevere. Keep searching and improving your process. Rest. Return. And, Live.

3. Create Your Opportunities

Philosophically, the truth of the matter is that you exert a level of influence on the world around you. Your existence makes a number of things possible. Your awareness about the options increases the chance of amazing occurrences. Your openness to what you do not know and miracles without explanation make the miraculous more probable.

Practically, make a list of what you love and the visions you have. Reflect on that daily in addition to any ToDo list you create. That love and vision will surely create more wonder and come to fruition as you keep it top of mind. Your practice aligns with the universe to combine metaphysical influence with daily activity. The result is miracles.

4. Daily Organization & Use

I never say, “I’m busy,” especially in response to a question like, “How are you?” This tweet says it all. Talk is cheap. I’m not busy if I can take the time to talk about being busy. That may be overwhelmed, frustrated, anxious, distraught, energized, motivated, contemplative, or tweaked, but not busy. Busy goes without saying because busy is everyday. The question is what does everyday busy say about you. Not just what you do and achieve, but who you are and are developing to be. What have you gained in the process that you could share when asked? Maybe, from now on, your answer to “How are you?” can reflect your growth–a message of shared experience and encouragement to pay forward the investment made in you. Maybe, instead of “busy,” you can be an inspiration.

5. Daily Routine

Reminders are important. In the hustle and grind of daily climbing, you can sometimes lose perspective on what really matters. Take only a moment in that lost, shadow realm. Remember the secret. Life is more than doing. Life is developing. Life is not about what you collect. Life is about what you give. Life is not about what you take. Life is about what you leave. Make it a daily routine to speak, give, and wish life, learning, and faith into others. Leave a legacy that inspires beyond what you have done to inform the development of generations of learners to come.

Dr. Michael A. Wright received his Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work degree from the University of South Carolina - Columbia. Since 1997, Wright has led MAWMedia Group, LLC, a firm helping individuals and organizations tell stories and translate ideas into capital.