Just Do It!

Have you ever had one of those days?  You know the ones.  They start out with a jolt when you realize that you’ve slept through your alarm.   You jump in the shower thinking you can still make it to work on time and hurry through your morning routine only to remember that you were down to your last clean pair of drawers the day before and now they all sit in the washing machine in need of a tumble dry before they can be worn.  You hustle through the rest of your morning routine, a little less made up than usual, hair not looking as coiffed as you would like, but you are dressed and presentable and excited as you realize you will only be about ten minutes late for work—the Gods of morning prep have smiled on you yet again.  About two hours (and fifteen interactions with coworkers) later your morning break buddy pops in your office to see if you are ready to go to the quick stop and the tired look on her face quickly turns to one of horror and concern as she points out to you that your lovely red button up shirt is on inside out (how that happened, I’m still not sure).  Things are bound to get better from here, right?  Let’s hope!

Sometimes, it seems as though my life is like the movie Groundhog Day and the scene described above, with slight variations, is my every day.  They leave me feeling so far from the person I really want to be.   I want to be a morning person.  I want to be someone who is always put together and looks her best.  I want to be a fit and healthy athlete.  I want to be a good sister, daughter, friend, and employee.  I want to be good at my job.

Like Karen, I’m a dreamer and a planner but I sometimes have a struggle when it comes to putting my plans into action.  There always seems to be something that distracts me or derails me.  I’m frequently waiting for the next best time to start or for circumstances to be optimal.  There have been times when I wonder when and how anything is ever going to change.

On days like today, when frustrations are high and I feel like I am a million miles away from the person I want to be and I’m living the same unsatisfactory day over and over I wonder what it will take to actually get me to that grand destination where dream meets reality.  Have I, in typical Teresa fashion, made the answer out to be so much harder than it really is?

Dreams are great.  We need to them to set ourselves moving in the right directions and to give us something to shoot for.  Plans are necessary.  We need to think through the details of how to get from Point A to Point B, what tools are at our disposal, how we will fit our plans for this dream in with the other dreams in our life.  Yes, dreaming and planning are both good and necessary.

But when it comes right down to it–when push comes to shove–we just need to BE the person we want to BE.  Don’t wait for a perfect time to execute your plan.  Don’t wait for the stars to align before you take action to accomplish your dreams.  Simply DO.  BE.  Act AS IF you are already the person you want to be.  It doesn’t have to take place on a grand scale.  The next time you are faced with a decision, simply be the person you want to be.  Respond to your situation, one decision at a time, as if you have always been that person you want to be.  This is my new plan.

I AM a morning person.  I AM someone who is put together and looks her best.  I AM fit and health.  I AM an athlete. I AM a good sister, daughter, friend, and employee.  I AM good at my job.

I’ll let you know how it goes.