Courage, patience, focus, compassion, self-control, hope. I need all of these from time to time. While I sometimes wish we could just eat or drink something that bolstered these ideals in us (maybe like the magic cookies from Alice in Wonderland), I am often inspired and re-energized after a good conversation with friends (another reason I love coffee dates).
What do you need today?
The ideals or virtues I need each day change. But I try to practice patience regularly because I typically want everything to go quickly. However, that is not the way our world works and not the way that everybody around me works. And, therefore, I realize that patience with people, with situations, and with activities is something that I constantly need to be working on.
Today, I find that focus is what I am needing. Yesterday, I spent the day at Disneyland and yet today, is a workday. After spending a day at Disneyland, there is fatigue and tiredness that follows. However, today I need to be working on paperwork and reports that have deadlines and, therefore, I cannot push them aside until I feel at my best. As a result, today I need an extra dose of focus.
For me, focus doesn’t come from removing all distractions. Actually, I’ve found that I focus best by first creating my priority to-do list for the day. Then, I turn on the TV. A quiet office almost makes me crawl out of my skin because I can’t turn off the “to-do’s” in my head that may include things that are not important to today and cause me to get overwhelmed.
A small TV over to the side with maybe a home improvement show, or a familiar movie (with a low volume) increases my ability to focus on the task in front of me. Do I recommend it for everybody? No. Some people prefer music or headphones or white noise. This is a very personal thing that I found through many years of trial and error and it just happens to be the one that works for me. You would have to look at what works for you.
So, what do you need today?
