Do you ever have those moments in life where you just don’t want to do something? You know you should, but you just don’t want to? (Cue the inner battle here!)
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about those essential things of life like breathing or keeping your children safe or watching what you’re doing as you drive.
I’m talking about those seemingly smaller things that land on your to-do list. Those things like sending that email or attacking that mountain of laundry or making that phone call or cleaning out that drawer or putting those papers away or tackling that project.
Those things that are almost dreaded. Those things that might not involve serious physical effort but the ones that require much more mental or relational effort. I know that for me, as a total introvert, sometimes the thought of interacting with people outside of my own family (or even within my own family!) takes more energy than I can muster in the moment!
Yet, we spend all this time avoiding the task. We spend all this time dreading the task. We work it up in our minds to be this insanely huge deal when what we really need to do is just take that first step.
Walk to the computer…
Start that first load of laundry…
Pick up the phone…
Open the drawer…
Pick up the stack of papers…
Open the closet…
Take the first step of the new project…
Sometimes that first step is so incredibly difficult, but it can be so surprisingly rewarding. You may find that scarf you thought was lost hidden in the back of your closet. You may find cool stuff that you forgot you had camping out in that drawer you’ve been meaning to organize. You may find a friend who needed to talk on the other end of that phone conversation. You may find someone who needed to hear from a friend on the other side of that email. You may find that shirt you misplaced sitting at the bottom of your clothes hamper.
You never know how your small step of choosing your actions rather than caving to your feelings in the moment may help and encourage someone else.
You never know how much fun or encouragement or hidden treasure you may get out of simply taking that first step.
Why don’t you try it? Take a look at something that’s been sitting on your list for a while. What is one thing that you could do today? (Note: not 10, not 15, not 50, just 1!) How can you accomplish that task with a smile on your face and a desire to serve someone else?
Wanna know a secret? Sometimes a cup of coffee helps me a lot! (Just don’t spill it on the computer….)
Additional Resources:
- Feel Your Emotions, but Choose Your Actions
- Expect the Unexpected
- Paths Produce Perseverance
- The Changing of the Seasons of Life
- Motivation To Keep Going When Life Is Hard
Elizabeth Tatham, founder of Inspiration in the Everyday, is a homeschooling momma of 5 who loves helping other homeschooling mommas create a unique homeschooling adventure your kids will love…without the overwhelm! Join in on the journey with 7 simple steps to make your homeschooling day go faster, easier, and with less tears here.