Recently, John Assaraf posted an interesting challenge on Facebook:
“Here is a personal challenge for you. Make a decision as soon as you finish reading this, that you will go onto your calendar and schedule something that you have really wanted to do and have for whatever reason, put it off. Do it now. I’m going to do it myself! If you want to share whatever that is here. Leave me a message.”
What I love about the post is that, for once, I was not being told to think about my goals – short term or long term — and whether my to-do list was moving me forward. What I read in that challenge was:
Hey Kim, what part of LIVING have you put off because of your PURSUING?
It’s so easy to put off the pleasurable moments while we are working so hard to achieve a goal, or attain the next breakthrough, or just survive the day! And my personality type is driven by achievement, so as long as there is work to do, I tend to put off the “play.”
So I took the challenge. T
here is an Impressionist art exhibit in Fort Worth for about three months. I always tend to miss these big exhibits completely, or go on that last, over-crowded day, because I didn’t have any hard deadline for getting myself there. It was something “extra” that could be fit in anywhere. Or maybe I was waiting for someone to go with me, but none of my friends really like that sort of thing so it slipped my mind.
But this time, it’s different. I made a date with myself to go see the Impressionist Exhibit at the Kimbell Art Museum on Tuesday. I set a time in my calendar for 10 AM and wrote it in marker. It’s on my Google calendar as well so that the people who have access to that know that I am not available.
This was a great little reminder that I must incorporate enjoyment into my life. It doesn’t all have to be the BIG vacation or the BIG event that I plan for. Even the little things in my day that I can appreciate will inspire and ignite me. Taking a moment to stop and appreciate the bluebonnets, listening intently to the birds chirping instead of just letting them stay in the background noise, even taking a step outside only to breathe deeply and get away from my computer.
Actually scheduling an appointment to go to the museum with myself is deliberate living and that’s just as important as deliberately exercising, deliberately learning a new skill to improve my website, deliberately going to a networking event and deliberately making my to-do list to push me toward my goals.
I challenge you to take John’s challenge today. What has been in the back of your mind saying “Wouldn’t it be nice if I could…” but you don’t actually plan?
And the added blessing…when I went on the Kimbell web site to get information about tickets and parking, I discovered that Tuesdays are half price!
About Kim Schuld
