If you have stumbled across my blog and are thinking ‘Day 17’ of what? Have a quick read about my challenge.

Yesterday was my daughter’s birthday. We were going out for the day. The night before I had to make a decision.

Do I… 

1. Set an alarm for an early morning wake up, so I could do my writing before we left? 
2. Assume I would wake up early, as I often do? 
3. Write when we got back from our day out? 
4. Not worry about it and see what happened?

I chose option D. 

Up until a few years ago it would definitely have been A. Regardless of whether or not I was on holiday. I used to put a tremendous amount of pressure on myself to achieve everything. To an extent, I still do. 

Slowly, I am learning, it isn’t essential to achieve everything you set out to do in a day. No one cares apart from you. Give yourself a break.

I found reading the book Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg helped me enormously. One piece of advice that has become an internal voice for me. 

“Just get it done, it doesn’t need to be perfect” These might not be her exact words but the premise is the same.

I won’t get into perfectionism now, but this mantra, as it has now become, removed a tremendous amount of pressure and stress. It has also led me to be more time efficient and worry less.

It is very hard to make decisions if you feel under pressure and worried about the outcome of your choice. My brother calls this a ‘doubtcome’. I think that’s a great way to express it. Worrying about something leaves you paralysed, unable to make a decision at all. I just started to type, “let alone the right one”. Stopped instantly when I realised what I was doing. That is how conditioned we can become.

There is no right decision.

You could spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, even years making a decision. Mulling over it until you really believe it is the right one. Moments later, something out of your control happens and bam! The consequences of your decision alter instantly. Leaving you crushed that after all that time, you hadn’t made the right decision.

This minute, my head is mulling over something. We are going out shortly and I need to make a decision. Do I…

1. Finish this post, possibly not to my liking but ‘Just get it done’?
2. Stop where I am and come back to it later?
3. Explain to you that I have more to say on the subject so I will stop here and call it part one. To be continued…

I have chosen option C (and a bit of A, as I have now run out of time to check it over properly)

Have a great day
If you would like to join me on this journey, please like, subscribe and comment.

Thanks, Liz

For anyone reading my posts who has a story in them, they are struggling to tell. I would recommend getting Anne Lamott’s book ‘Bird by Bird’. It has inspired me to create this challenge and is full of great knowledge and insight. She also has a wonderful sense of humour and writing style.

If you would like to buy ‘Bird by Bird’, please use my Amazon associate link: https://amzn.to/47Pdkx7