I had a meltdown a couple days ago -- a bad one -- from letting a writing rejection get to me. It had me so down, I didn't want to get up the next morning. So I made a deal with myself. Do just one thing, that's all. Just get out of bed. If you don't do another thing all day, that's OK. Do just one thing. And I did. And I did it with my full attention on that one thing. Then when I felt like doing just one more thing, I did that. I got through that day, and it felt so good, I carried doing just one thing on to yesterday. Then today.
It's been pretty amazing. Most days I wake up with an entire day's worth of have-tos weighing on my chest. No wonder getting out of bed is such a chore. But I haven't felt that way since doing just one thing. Last night I had a crappy sleep, waking with bouts of heartburn all night long, but all I had to do was get out of bed this morning. Just one thing. And I could do that, no matter how bad my night was.
I've noticed that without feeling like I am forever running behind on getting things done, panting just to keep up with all I think I have to do, each one thing I do brings more pleasure. I am actually present enough to enjoy that one thing, to really relish it, not already thinking about how I'm going to accomplish the next thing.
This "just one thing" prescription may not be a biggie for anyone but me. But so far, it feels like a life-changer. And no side effects. So I wanted to share it. Now if I can only remember to take a big dose of just one thing every morning when I wake up.
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