Know your weakness, find your strength.
In the last 2 nights I’ve slept 4 hours and 5 hours respectively. I’d love to tell you that tonight will be different, but I try to be honest, so I can’t tell you that. Maybe 6 hours, if I’m lucky.
I think I chose the wrong life to give up caffeine.
Right now I feel somewhat overwhelmed. I have many things that I need to get done, and for every one that I take care of, two more seem to pop into existence. The more time I try to free up to do things, the more time I seem to need.
I wish I could tell you that I’m operating at 100% efficiency, with everything organized and taken care of, but I can’t, because that again would be a lie.
I think one of my weaknesses is disorganization. I’m sure when my sweet wife reads this she will laugh and nod her head vigorously. A good friend of mine calls is AOADD – adult onset attention deficit disorder. I believe he’s onto something there.
Truthfully, I have the same amount of time in the day as everyone else, but I am not as effective at using that time as others. My desk is routinely a mess, and I find myself having to rush to do things that I could have done earlier that somehow escaped my notice.
Honestly, I procrastinate things until they become urgent, and then try not to let them become a crisis. I start with the best of intentions, but somehow I fail to execute in the way that I should.
Just as I fail to get to bed at a sensible time.
We all have weaknesses that beset us. Some we are aware of, some we are not. That’s why it helps to have good friends around, someone who can whisper a considerate truth in our ear and tell what everyone in the world but us can see.
It has to be someone you can trust, but it also has to be someone you will listen to. Because if you want to find your strength, you have to go through your weaknesses.
As someone who is a chronic procrastinator, I have found that a short to-do list, with 4-5 items on it, helps me to get things accomplished. As someone who can lose a train of thought in a heartbeat, I have found that the right kind of sound, or music, can help to keep me locked on target and productive.
As someone who can fall into a deep pit of self recrimination, I have found that a great family and especially a loving wife can help pull me out of myself, and show me the pathway back to balance.
If you are brave enough, and if you really want to know what everyone else knows about you, I challenge you today to have a deep, honest and heartfelt conversation with someone who will tell you the truth about you.
Because only by knowing yourself, and asking for help, can you move beyond where you are now.
And into the light.
— Dr. Alan Barnes
@maddrbmusings