Monday motivation: know when to slow down, stop, or keep going

October 5, 2009 | Filed Under Consider this, monday motivation | 1 Comment

slow down

Last week, I seriously contemplated opting out of this two-year Master’s program I just started a month ago. In theory, it’s a great program and an excellent opportunity. It’s not that it’s not; I use “in theory” because it may or may not be right for me. I’ll be passionate about it every once in a while for a moment, but the excitement always seems to dissipate leaving me wondering if I really want to go down this path.

I was pretty close to pressing the brakes last week. Some understood how I felt and some encouraged me to give it more thought. Down to the wire at a possibly pivotal moment, I decided to make the decision pressure-free and trudge along for now. That meant a weekend of relatively no sleep as I prepared to complete this assignment I grossly over-exaggerated. Hours before my deadline, I realized my error, both in horror and relief. Horror because relaxation, sleep, and the comfort of completion could’ve been my friends much sooner and relief because I think I would’ve missed the deadline. What I built into a high hurdle would’ve only really required a little jump. If I would’ve quit and realized this after the fact, regret would’ve probably accompanied that decision.

Lessons learned:
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Monday motivation: faith and clarity

August 17, 2009 | Filed Under Consider this, Rewritable words, Watch this, What My World Sounds Like, monday motivation | 1 Comment

Anyone who knows me should know that I’m a huge John Mayer fan. His smooth voice lulls me into the rich layers of his music and the profundity of the lyrics keeps me there. Lingering. Pressing repeat and searching for songs I’ve never heard before.

Tonight, I listened to “Clarity” again, causing me to reflect upon a recurring theme in my conversations lately: fear.

So many decisions are made out of fear instead of faith. Faith that the desired outcome will manifest. Faith that I don’t need to be all high-strung and worried because everything will be okay, even if the outcome is different from what I envisioned. Faith that what happens, however uncomfortable, is for a reason.

I’m living with more trust in the process of life and faith that “everything will be okay in the end. if it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” Today, confront your fears. What are they? Where did they come from? Are they truly yours? What can you do to overcome them?