Hello from a sunny Friday in Somerset. Finishing Friday – I had hoped – would mean that I would be feeling somewhat ready for this weekend, feeling that I have ‘deserved’ it. However, it is so easy for me to go ‘off piste’ and not do what I want to do or set out to do. It is also easy for me to dwell on all that I am not pleased about and not acknowledge the good.
So, this week, I have not spent time thinking about and writing my blog, BUT I have learnt some good things that I value and I have accomplished a small few things that will mean something later on.
For EXAMPLE:
Using the statement, “I DON’T …..”, has helped me to DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND and say NO to a few sneaky habits that do not serve me! A few times I needed to be strict with myself. I DON’T eat chocolate mindlessly after supper; I DON’T not follow up on important work because I am not feeling like it; I DON’T allow myself to ……
Prompted by a good friend, I list all the things that I am pleased that I did during the day. I do this whilst cleaning my teeth. Such a simple thing to do with wonderful effects.
I have discovered the bliss of a bowl of broad beans for lunch – a slosh of olive oil, salt and pepper, chopped herbs, and sometimes a few of cubes of feta. A nourishing meal that takes 1 minutes to put together. Good food is important for me – and it can be so simple.
Loving the ironing – because I am listening to impactful and helpful podcasts.
Even though I might not be as concentrated in my work as I wish to be, I am still making PROGRESS. If we all noticed our progress, we would all be a lot calmer.
Subscribing to The Week, The Knowledge and glancing through the news papers at weekends is helping me to feel a bit more attuned to current affairs. It is stimulating too.
I am not running and walking as I am used to doing – I have to let this go and just be appreciated that I am doing a very little something sometimes. This is often a quick stretch or a 5 minute march outside. I am learning to embrace that there are things that I CAN do and to go with that. Let go of the draining regrets.
Yes, a very fidgety week full of distractions – but all is NOT lost. Bit by bit and I know that there are times ahead when I will be extremely focused and zooming through what I want to be doing. So, perhaps not a ‘finishing Friday’ but a Friday of ‘finishing with kindness’.
A story –
In 1911, two explorers, Amundsen and Scott, embarked on a race against each other to become the first known human being to set foot upon the southernmost point of Earth. It was the age of Antarctic exploration, as the South Pole represented one of the last uncharted areas in the world. Amundsen wished to plant the Norwegian flag there on behalf of his country, while Scott hoped to stake his claim for England.
The journey there and back from their base camps was about fourteen hundred miles, which is roughly equivalent to a round-trip hike from New York City to Chicago. Both men would be traveling the same distance on foot through extremely cold and harsh weather conditions. And both men were equally equipped with experience, supplies, and a supporting team of fellow explorers.
As it turned out, Amundsen and Scott took entirely different approaches to the very same challenges. Scott directed his team to hike as far as possible on the good weather days and then rest on bad weather days to conserve energy. Conversely, Amundsen directed his team to follow a strict regimen of consistent daily progress by hiking exactly twenty miles every day, regardless of weather conditions. Even on the warmest, clear-sky days, when Amundsen’s team was capable of hiking much farther, he was absolutely adamant that they travel no more than twenty miles to conserve their energy for the following day’s hike.
Which team succeeded in the end?
Amundsen’s team, the one that took consistent daily action.
Why?
Because what we do every day defines us.
Today’s progress is always compounded by yesterday’s effort, no matter how small.
Taking even the very smallest of actions starts stacking up. Remember this!