So it turns out that Monday is the first day of my Sabbatical, and that’s really apparent from my energy levels right off the bat. Consuming delicious bacon in toasted hot-cross-buns and drinking fresh coffee gave me the energy to mow the lawn and cut back some bushes.
And here is where it was odd. It was a really natural thing to do, not a check-box-chore that it might feel like on a regular day. There is something magical about having birds flock down to the exposed insects that makes you feel like a Disney princess, and this gives the mind time to wander and ponder, and on this day it strays to where this expression of vigour comes from.
Obviously I’ve been carrying it around, because I’m still the person I was yesterday. This is my vigour for a task that needs doing. It's to physical to be lazy and it's too dangerous to be an autonomous task - you have to be there in the moment, every moment.
OK - I do a lot of my gardening with an axe, which accentuates that, but this is a different experience to the dragging-of-feet gardening with which I am familiar.
I can remember not mowing the lawn two weeks ago, and not wanting to either. But today I wanted to, and I’ve got a feeling it’s because I didn’t have to. The low pressure environment, and specifically balance of internal pressure vs external pressure seems to be good for me - and thinking back to the times I’ve been most productive over the ten years leading up to this sabbatical the peaks of effort and accomplishment do coincide with the times I’ve been self-motivated, internalising my goals and actions.
On this optimistic start I leave you with the thought that each check-box-chore is a stepping stone, Find your motivation for within, hold it in a larger context, and it becomes part of a great journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment