I like to think of things as “projects”. Just the idea of working on a “project” vs. fixing something or getting better at something sounds so much more motivating to me. Whether it’s a manual labor thing like power washing the deck or working on my fitness, changing my perspective on how I mentally approach it is actually a game changer for me.
Identifying with something as a project makes me feel like I just need to establish some sort of momentum, have an end product in mind, allow for flexibility with that end vision and what the road there will look like, expect that I will need to learn a lot of things from a lot of different sources, be prepared for a lot to not go the way I planned them to, breathe through the inevitable temptation to cry and lose patience, and…the most important…build up a great deal of trust and faith in the process that will eventually get me what I envisioned in the first place.
I say it to myself all of the time: “__________ is my ‘project’.”
Sometimes it’s one of my children. Sometimes it’s something with Ben or one of our parents. And, sometimes it’s within my own body, my mind, or a behavior of mine that I’m trying to change. And, that phrase usually chases on the heels of a deep breath I take to try and slow my response to something that sends blood racing through my veins in a mild form of rage.
Breathe. “________ is my project.” And, I’m back on track.