Working So Hard

What will be the most important thing you will do today?  (We may not know until the day has ended.)

I asked this question at a Meaning of Life class for adults years ago and it was interesting what people said:

• Read my child a bedtime story.
• Cleared out my Inbox.
• Cooked a healthy dinner.
• Negotiated a contract.
• Wrote a bunch of Thank You notes. (Who was that person?)
• Finished planning for a conference.

At the end of the day, I try to name one thing that tranformed me or my Presbytery (where I work.) I’m pretty good at naming the transformations at work.  Not so great at self-transformation, but trying to focus on this a bit more.

The best use of my time at work is culture-shifting work:

• A congregation realized that the Presbytery indeed wants them to thrive.
• Relationships between congregations are bolstered.
• Another pastor gets our new organizational structure.
• Connections were made between people, congregations, community organizations.

I’m trying to shift my personal culture as well:

• Read more novels. (Note: The Testaments is excellent.)
• Write more Thank You notes – not because I have to but because I want to.
• Exercise way more.
• Eat less sugar.  (This would be a huge genetic shift.)
• Stop working so much.

That last one is the trickiest.  With HH still living several states away it’s so tempting to work All The Time.  The truth is that I don’t have to prove myself at this point in my life (although I still try to do that.)  How about you?

I can tell you all day long that you are worthy of relaxation and staring-into-space time.  But many of us work to show how hard we are working – even if our calendars are filled with activities with little impact.

What’s the most important thing you will do today?  I hope it will be transformative and not just for your office/workplace.

Image of one of my favorite places to stare into space.