I stare at the small, yellow post-it affixed to the bottom of my office computer monitor. An axiom occurred to me in an insightful moment several years ago, fueled by fortitude and stimulated by caffeine. Seized by epiphany, I wrote a reminder to myself: there are no shortcuts, only efficiencies.
These are words I live by. From exercising, to saving money, to managing a law firm or a caseload, I understand that there is no getting around the hard work that worthy goals entail. Seeing it in writing every workday reminds me that a structured, systematic approach to life makes it more productive and fulfilling.
I ponder what other rules influence me. I consider, and cast aside, aphorisms about living in the moment, seeking peace within my soul, holding on by letting go, and radiating love so powerfully that it reflects back. I am smitten with the sentiments contained in those sayings – to a point. But I prefer no-nonsense, concrete directives that are practical, not spiritual. I am grounded, which is to say that I wear sensible shoes while walking around instead of frolicking barefoot in a park. But I have several beliefs that guide me, and I hear their insistent whispers frequently.
For the perfectionist in me, I prompt myself: don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. I am relentless about achieving objectives, but I often cut myself some slack. Just the other day, I eschewed a fancy-recipe side dish for a potluck and, instead, threw together a simple green salad. Unless I have a very concrete, upcoming exercise goal, I substitute an easy exercise day for what I had planned -- if it feels right. I regularly eye the morning’s work to-do list with dissatisfaction at day’s end – and recognize that the real world has elbowed the optimal one out of the way.
Finish what you begin was a phrase I often heard from my mother when I was a young girl. Cleaning my room, finishing an art creation, or completing a sewing project – these tasks were easy to slip away from, like a disinterested attendee at an uninspiring lecture, when the lure of a book or a trip to the riding stable presented a more attractive alternative. But as I matured and sprang away from parental oversight, I realized that, for me, if I do not set a deadline, it will not get done. From writing legal briefs, to mapping out a half marathon training schedule, to cleaning the garage, to making doctor’s appointments, life is easier when there is a known endpoint. Setting deadlines for goals is a mantra that is central to my personality.
When it seems impossible to start a project, I try to understand why delay is so attractive, using a simulated and psychological cost-benefit analysis. I am aware that procrastination serves an emotional purpose, but you pay a hefty price for it. I look for the blockade that hinders the inception. Confronting what is getting in the way of what I want to get done requires real soul-searching – but it is always worth investigating. What usually tips the balance in favor of beginning a difficult task is considering how I will feel when it is done and comparing it to how I will feel if I bow out.
But life has unrelenting hardships, as well as tasks that are just disagreeable. At those junctures, there are no forks in the road to consider, but a single, arduous path forward. Retreat is not possible for reasons of circumstance or reality. For these expeditions, I fall back on a heartfelt cliché: if you must walk through broken glass in bare feet, make sure it is in a straight line. Adversity is best faced with eyes wide open, jaws firmly clenched. The most direct route, straight as a razor’s edge, gets you through in the least amount of time.
Come to think of it, this is where I started when I glimpsed that yellow, and yellowed, post-it on my computer. Begin something difficult today, not tomorrow. Keep plowing forward, even when your steps shorten or falter. Finishing what you begin in the least amount of time is its own reward.
And if you fall short, you can fashion a meaningful justification for it and post it someplace obvious: my self-worth is based on more than what I achieve.