Another benefit of this pandemic is the quarantine from the shoulds, have-tos and musts.
What I am noticing is how much I just mindlessly should myself - making myself do things I probably would not do if I could choose not to. I saw this TED talk about not giving a F@#$ and it was interesting it that the speaker was trying to get us to realize that:
1. it is vital you understand what does matter to you! (what you do give a F@#$ about) and
2. stop wasting your time, energy and attention on things you do not care about (don't give a F@#$ about).
It was a strong talk (sometimes harsh) but it got my attention - so it worked.
That talk in combination with the "stay-at-home" requirements in effect has gotten me noticing what things I do because:
- I think I SHOULD
- I think I MUST and/or
- I think I HAVE TO
And it is more than I care to share. But what a GIFT! What a gift this time is giving us. - We are being given amazing FREE SPACE to make some pretty important clarifying decisions about what matters and what does not!
a.k.a. What do we really care about and what we don't!
HOW AWESOME.
This is the perfect time to check in and notice all the ways you have been "shoulding" on yourself and others.
Notice all of the MUSTS that might not really be musts.
And all the HAVE-TOs that some how we are finding we can get along with out.
Separate the wheat from the chaff
It feels like that bible concept of separating the wheat from the chaff. Clarifying what is the wheaty-meaningful things in our life from the chaff of noise and time/energy wasting activities.
This all goes back to how are you going to invest your life energy? - your precious life energy. This "global time-out" is a great opportunity to clarify and refine what matters and what really does not.
Because as we know - we are always prospering - better to prosper what really matters to us!