Already February of 2016 and I finally took a good look at
exactly what I expect of myself this year. I mean seriously…how good am I, and
how can I be better at whatever I do?
Those of you who are bakers know exactly what I’m talking
about. It’s all in the quality of the ingredients, the touch of your hands, and
the energy from your heart. Nothing bakes a pie like love. Personally, I can’t
bake at all. The term “Easy as pie” is a conundrum because it is, without
exception, the most difficult thing on earth to me. Maybe I don’t have the
touch or the heart for it, or maybe it’s just not something I’ve tried to be
better at.
And therein lays the real issue. To set great goals that
have any hope of success, one must determine exactly where one’s heart is. If I
wanted to be the best pie baker in the world I’d have a long road ahead. This could
be a ten year commitment because my heart just is not in it. Does that make me
a bad person? Nope. Just a bad baker.
This silly exploration led me to a much larger picture—the
difference between being good, being better, or maybe even being great. Am I a
good person? Can I be better? Am I a good friend, lover, teacher, partner, or
collaborator? Can I be better?
To improve at anything it takes dedication and heart. We all
have loads of both, but this line between good, better, and great is very slender
and has a habit of shifting as life moves on. We compromise and rationalize.
“Ah well, it was better than last year,” we say with acceptance. But was it the
better we were seeking?
With all our energies and expectations high for a glorious future
it can be so easy to fall into a few traps, and the worst is being a little too
ambitious. Past experiences tells me that I can’t loose fifty pounds, travel
around the world, learn to water ski, and win the lottery in the next ten
months, but oh how often I’ve jotted that list. It can’t happen, so rather than
set myself up for failure yet again, or worse yet, the dreaded better than last year compromise, why
not try something different? So, here goes!
For the first time in this woman’s life, I have chosen one
and only one goal for the remainder of 2016. To be better at one thing. To
perfect my practices with it. To believe that it will change something
important in my life, and to never waver—not in the doldrums of the deep snowy
February, not in the excitement of a summer week at the beach, not in the
surprising and speedy coming of 2017. I have chosen something to be better at,
and possibly great at. This is a breakthrough because, like almost everyone I
know, commitment and habitual attention to one behavior or skill can do nothing
but make us so much better at it! Just…one…thing.
One thing I can put my heart into and commit to. Now that’s a desire of the
heart I can do with enthusiasm.
What does your heart want this February? What singular thing
can you improve and enjoy the process of improvement?
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