Over the years, I wasted a lot of time.
By the time I settled into taking the good with the bad and making a life out of what I had, I was already forty. That wasn’t a crime, I just wish I’d have been 30!
Nevertheless, here I am. My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to take the time that’s left and implement the drive that burns within me to flourish and blossom. Part of that mission is to accurately discern between “being busy” and “doing work.” So on days when I’m booked tight and missing things or people I desire to touch, I look at my vision board for inspiration or redirection.
Recently I had one of those moments. I looked up at my vision board, but nothing happened. Not a thing. After a few minutes of staring and eventually daydreaming, I realized my issue. In that moment, I specifically sought to know that the vision I constructed was about more than me. I needed to know that my goals weren’t just about me, and that I wasn’t “busy” in an effort to be loved or accepted. I stared, hoping my efforts toward achievements weren’t a sly replacement for old people-pleasing tendencies.
Do I want to be better inside and out? Sure. But if my efforts don’t yield results for more than just me, I may be busy, yet not doing work. To me, “doing work” exemplifies results benefiting more than me. I believe the nature of ‘loving your neighbor as yourself’ means that my actions should reflect me loving me and me loving you. For example, when I work on my attitude I reap an internal reward, and those I encounter reap an external one! The point: there is a road less traveled and it’s the one where selfish desires don’t reign. They may pop up, but they don’t reign. I desire to travel that road.
What’s the cost of a journey on this road? Work that requires a deeper level of engagement than simply “being busy.” Think of it in terms of bees. (Hey, give me a break. My dad had a cab company called Busy Bee!) The queen bee regulates the atmosphere with a scent she gives off and she’s able reproduce significantly and at exponential rates. That’s work. The worker bee pollenates, builds and protects the nest, and does anything that has to do with survival of the colony. Also lots of work. The drone bee, however, is all buzz. No stinger, no building capability, no pollenating. I want to work my way to Queen Bee status, where I change my surroundings and am fruitful!
Today, I understand part of what fuels my drive to positively affect those that I’m around and be productive. How about you? Are your goals fruitful or are you just busy? Have you recently transitioned from one to the other? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!