This year, I set off to try something new. Well, something new for me anyway. Here’s a picture to show the results of the first month:
To clear things up, every day that I get some kind of writing – and by that, I am not including Blogging, Tweeting, etc. – done, that earns me a star sticker. The other sticker is for days where I hit the number of active minutes recommended by my FitBit.
So, I’ve learned a couple of things about myself over the past month.
The first is that I kinda like stickers. I don’t see myself covering a whole bunch of stuff with them, but I enjoy putting them on the calendar.
The second is that – probably almost immediately – I went about this *All Wrong.*
It started, as most mistakes often do, with the best intentions. The problem was that my focus was always on the “Next Day.” That next empty slot was always waiting there, challenging me.
Now, that’s fine – up to a point. Up until you fail to “Do the Thing” and earn yourself a sticker, and you feel like you’ve failed yourself.
Life is going to happen. Some days – note that three day stretch where I didn’t get my writing sticker – you need a break. If I had a third set of stickers, I might start giving myself one when I’ve practiced some form of self-care.
There will always be that next day waiting. In fact, there is only going to be one day in my entire life where that next day isn’t going to be waiting for me.
My focus was all wrong.
I shouldn’t be looking at the next empty day slot without also acknowledging all of the other slots that came before. Look at all those stickers!!
That’s what’s important: The Bigger Picture. The challenge of the day ahead, encouraged by all of the work I’ve already done.
That is going to be my focus going forward. To come to the end of the month with a new appreciation of all of the effort that’s gone on before.
I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.