by susan on August 30, 2010
I spent most of this past weekend stripping stain off my deck with a power washer. What a drag, you’re probably thinking. Well, it certainly wasn’t wine tasting in the Napa Valley, but there is a lot of good to be said about my experience.
While I was behind my pressure washer, I was totally living in the moment, watching what was unfolding with each board and working towards perfecting my technique accordingly. It also became an exercise in faith. Having successfully cleaned even the most stubborn boards showed me that anything was possible as long as I believed that I could clean the board and followed through with the time and energy that was necessary.
For as long as I’ve cared about my own personal development I’ve recognized that living in the present is something I need to work on big time. As I was trying to get my arms around my deck lesson earlier today, something important occurred to me.
The Lesson
If I am so busy with my own thoughts about the past or future, I may miss an important message or opportunity that is showing up in the current moment simply because I’m not paying close enough attention.
by susan on August 26, 2010
My desktop computer died today. Actually it fell victim yesterday to 95 degree temperatures which aided in the overheat. I brought it it for repair and was told that it needed a new internal power supply and the labor costs would make for a bad investment for my 7-year old computer. So I walked out of the shop without it. I returned to my home office, the cords from all the media I had attached still dangling on the floor reminding me that I had to create a new reality for running my business from home.
More and more I’ve been looking at situations that present themselves with an eye for understanding:
- Why is this happening?
- Why now?
- Is there an opportunity here?
- What might this symbolize?
Although my old computer was a drain on my productivity, I hung on to it because I associated the desktop with stability. That was always how I ran my business in the past. Yet now I sit here writing on a machine that is multiple times the speed and takes up a fraction of the space. It’s rather refreshing.
Most of all I feel connected to a symbolism attached to letting go of the old machine to embrace the laptop that has been merely my toy. It feels like movement towards a new way.
It’s funny; I have had a feeling the past few days that something significant in a positive sense is on its way to my business. Perhaps this little change in computer operations is helping me to prepare. Or maybe it is an extension of the bit of change I wrote about in Got Choice.
I do believe that looking at the little day-to-day events helps us to put the puzzle pieces together than make up the bigger picture.
