I finally learned how to do anything worthwhile:
I have to force myself to do it. This past weekend reminded me of that.
About once per month, my family heads to a cabin in the woods. You see, a year ago I realized life was flying by and we were spending too much of it with our faces staring at the LED screens of our iPhones, iPads, laptops, desktops, and flat-screen TVs (yes, we own WAY too many things that require electricity). My family’s idea of “roughing it” was being without wifi for an hour.
So, I devised a plan to unplug all of us one weekend a month. The resistance was immediate and shockingly powerful. My children launched a full-frontal assault on my conscience, my parental insecurities, and my willpower.
But, I stood firm. And we had a blast. Oh, they won’t admit it, but I know my kids are building memories that will last far longer than watching another half-baked Nickelodeon TV show or achieving high-score on Modern Warfare III.
Winning a Battle Does Not Automatically Win the War
After the first successful weekend at the cabin, I thought all future escapes would be smooth sailing. I remember thinking, “Now that they’ve seen how great it is, they’ll be BEGGING me to go next time.“
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaha. Oh, how naive I was.
EVERY time we go, it’s a battle.
“We have to go to the stupid cabin AGAIN?“
“I only have so many weekends, why do I have to spend it away from my friends?“
And, my personal favorite:
“Why are you punishing us?“
And EVERY time we go, it’s a blast.
What Happens When You Resist The Resistance
This past weekend my kids were so bored at the cabin they actually started picking up rocks and throwing them at trees. Then they realized it was actually fun and they made it into a contest that lasted about an hour. After that, every chance they got they picked up a rock or two and resumed the contest. I’m pretty sure the trees weren’t too happy about it, but I was thrilled.
None of this would happen if I didn’t force myself to make it happen. It would be so much easier to NOT go. I can’t pin the whole resistance movement on my kids, either. Truthfully, it’s kind of a pain to pack up 2 kids, 1 wife, and 2 dogs, drive an hour or two, unpack 2 kids, 1 wife, and 2 dogs…only to turn around 2 days later and do it all in reverse. Thank goodness I only have 1 wife or we’d need a bigger car.
A Great Question
Watching my kids pummel trees with rocks this weekend put a question on my brain that I’ve been thinking about ever since:
“What else in my life do I need to force myself to do to truly get the result I want?“
A list immediately sprang to mind. Dangit! Now I either have to take some action or live with the soul-sucking feeling of coulda/woulda/shoulda.
The Challenge For You
So, my challenge to you is to ask yourself the same question. Actually, I’ll pose it as a couple of questions to help you break it down:
- Where in your life (or work) do you wish you were getting a different result?
- Where do you wish you were spending your time the way YOU want to spend it?
- What do you KNOW would be worth it if you forced yourself to do it?
Don’t think too much about the resistance, just know it will appear and it will be immediate and shockingly powerful.
Force yourself to do it anyway. It’s worth it.
