Recently I posted a status update on Facebook,
“Sometimes the universe whispers. Tonight it yelled in my ear.”
The next morning I laughed because of the video with Bill Nye making fun of how often certain people say “it was like the universe was telling me….” (from Inside Amy Schumer.) But, in all seriousness, I think there is a certain frequency we can all access if we are still and attentive. And for what it is worth, that is what I have been hearing loudly, and repeatedly.
I signed up for Mike Vardy’s virtual workshop, Beyond Productivity and I managed to take most of it in while I was working, as it played in the background. I had signed up to figure out how to beat my To Do list into submission, and his formula certainly works — in particular one aspect totally shifted the way I approach my list by grouping tasks in “modes” so that I don’t have to shift back and forth. (Follow the link above if you are interested in learning more and getting access to the replay of the live show) Mostly though, it reminded me that I perpetually have too many things on my to do list which is why it seems unwieldy — it is.
Later I joined a friend for drinks and in the midst of my talking up yet another thing I want to do he said, “Your problem is you want to do everything at once. Pick one.” That was one of those moments were time stopped and all I could see was his words, hanging in the air. Even if it was for just three seconds, that time was captured and it replayed in the back of my head.
Finish Line CC-BY jayneandd on Flickr
Now, granted, I was tipsy by the time I left the pub that night but the yell I heard on my walk home was as real as any conversation. What was the yell? Basically “FINISH LINE” as in, “Stop trying to juggle everything. Pick one thing and get it across the finish line. Then pick the next thing.” I had a visual image of trying to get 22 bags of groceries from the car to the kitchen and understanding that I cannot carry all 22 at a time. At best, I can carry four. And when I put away the groceries, I generally only put away one item at a time, or maybe, like the modes concept in Beyond Productivity, I will gather all the freezer items first, then fridge, then pantry. When I realized I was repeatedly trying to juggle 22 tasks at once I suddenly saw my problem.
So, my one thing was to get Creative Miscellany registered and licensed as a proprietorship and home based business. DONE. My god, that felt good. The next thing? Well that is throwing me for a bit of a loop; it’s a web design contract (which was the reason for expediting the setup of CMisc).
Objectively, I know I can do the work; I have the skills, the knowledge, and the ability to blend those two things. I know if I need to subcontract some of the work to Shawn he has said he will be able to help (and the client is OK with the subcontracting) but it is very “uncharted territory” for me — doing a lot of things that normally Shawn dealt with for TDC contracts, including working with components of WordPress that I’ve never pulled together in one place. Some I’ve never attempted to work with at all. It’s a little scary, to be honest.
So part of my brain is curled up in a fetal position weeping over what I have taken on — in a month that also includes a week of GIS training through DHSI and travel to ALA in San Francisco. But part of me is excited to be stepping up to take on new challenges, and to push my brain to build new pathways.
Then today I took some silly little throw away social media quiz, What is your Mandala Match? that reached out and slapped me with how appropriate the advice turned out to be. The object was to choose the mandala that was most attractive to you. I settled on one but there was a “close second” in the debate. The first represented Motivation; the second, Confidence. Both were on the nose:
Motivation: “If you are contemplating upon this mandala, your spirit may be asking you to take action, build your momentum. The seeds you have sown are now in need of extra nurturing from other elements in order for you to move forward and maintain your inner drive and ambition. Know that your burning desires are rapidly approaching, but you will only get out what you put in.”
Confidence: (just this last sentence reached out and slapped me) “Know that no matter how daunting a task, it is you who has been chosen to take on this challenge, and it is time to make it look effortless.”
That last one? Wow. I think I need to hang that from a stick on my head so that it remains fixed in my line of sight until it really sinks in. Well played, Universe.