365 Lessons

(Critical Thinking About What The World Is Teaching Me Every Day)

 #37 Happy To Do It:) 

[Lesson Break Down]

I don’t always get to choose what I have to be doing at any given moment of each day.  However, I make decisions that set the framework for what I have to be doing to fulfill my long-term goals and serve the purposes I’ve set out to pursue.  I find it easier and more rewarding to get things done when I set my mind to enjoying each moment.

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If you read this blog you know that I keep myself pretty busy.  I have an incredible wife and a every-growing family with a third child on the way.  I’m chasing this goal of developing myself as a writer, I put a lot of stake in my professional work as an educator, I love to read and research, and I can get pretty wrapped up in the graduate work I’m doing.  I could literally spend every waking moment focused on those things.  Of course, there are other things that need to be done (and I try to just relax sometimes too).  The point is that I’m working to relieve myself of distractions during any given activity so that I can be critically engaged as much as possible.  I’m finding it’s the best way to learn, grow, build authentic relationships, and achieve goals.  Lets be clear that “working’ is a key word in the previous sentence.

An easy one is anything that has to do with my boys.  Yesterday we all had a snow day.  I have no objection to taking a day off.  In fact, I like it as much as the next guy – maybe even more.  However, taking a day off means that I’m not going to get any work done outside of pre-wake up, nap time, and post bedtime (to be fair, my wife and my mother step in when I need them to – thanks!).  On work days I get to spend a few hours in development before and after school, I get to plan and collaborate with my colleagues all day long, and I get to read, research, and write for a few hours before heading home for playing and dinner.

During our snow day play date I noticed that it’s easy for me to get lost in time spent with my boys.  Unlike some other necessary activities, when I’m with the boys I’m not always thinking about what else I need to be doing and where else I need to be.  It hit me like a title wave:  when I’m completely focused on what I’m doing at the time I’m doing it I enjoy it more and assign more value to it.  Totally engaging in each moment makes each moment worthwhile, even the ones that may not seem worthwhile at the outset.  Todays lesson involves shifting my paradigm to match that sentiment.  Sometimes I’m completely disengaged, thinking about deadlines, stressed about needing to get things done, not enjoying myself, not happy, and consequently not learning.  From now on, no matter what I have to be doing, I’m going to try to be happy to do it!