I decided to go to church today for basically the second time ever. While I was much less prepared for this go-around, and was there more to provide support for a friend… I still came away with a great piece I can apply to my life.
Today’s speaker was a woman, and she focused on a topic geared towards women. But it’s one that we can all learn from.
She opened with some examples from Pinterest. So many people see projects on Pinterest and try to recreate them. They often turn out to be a disaster.
But it’s this idea of Pinterest perfection that we all strive for. We compare ourselves to others based on how well we complete these projects, and when they don’t turn out well, we feel inadequate.
Our society is driven by these types of lists. They’re easy to make comparisons, and it’s human nature to seek out comparison. It’s a great form of feedback.
But our obsession with lists has led us to always strive to do more. It becomes all about getting things done, that we care so little about what we’re doing and who we’re doing it with.
As an American culture, we’re awful with this. As a small business owner, I struggle with this. As a perfectionist who obsesses over details, I can’t always get my mind around this.
But as a human being who is really starting to value relationships more and more each day, this is apparent.
A list-driven lifestyle will only continue to push us to do more and more. And where do we draw the line? And how quickly do we stop caring about the actual work we’re doing?
I, for one, am going to think twice before making another list. Life has so much more to offer than simply getting a bunch of menial tasks completed. We’re all much more capable than that. We have so much more to share with our friends, our family & even those we haven’t met yet.
It’s ironic how we always demand more from others. We’re not satisfied with anything less than exceptional quality & service, yet when it’s time to do our own work, we resort back to our list, and fall victim to just “getting it done.” Are we putting forth that same quality that we demand from others?
Put the list down and pick up a book. Skip a few to-do items, and go hang out on your buddy’s porch. Turn something in late if it doesn’t have to be finished today. And be proud of whatever situation you’re currently in, even if you know it won’t be pinned on Pinterest any time soon.