Not too long ago a friend and I discussed some of the concerns and frustrations that he was experiencing on his job at that time. We brainstormed about what we thought was really going on and some strategies that he could use to deal with the situation, including looking for another job.
Weeks went by and nothing changed at his job. Still he decided to hang in there and opted not pursue other opportunities. Why? There are probably a number of reasons, but when he and I talked about the situation again, it was clear that the overriding reason was that he did not think that he had what he needed to make a change. He believed that he needed more credentials and experience in certain areas. The belief that he needed to do and be more paralyzed him.
I pointed out that he had everything that he needed. Few, if any, of his co-workers had experience that matched his. His skill set allowed him to step up and find solutions to problems that no one else could solve. The team members that he supervised loved him and appreciated the guidance and leadership that he provided on projects. The bottom line is that he did not need to be or have more. He simply needed to recognize, appreciate and use what he already had.
One of the conversations with my friend replayed in my mind this morning as I sipped my cup of tea. A light bulb went on in my head. I realized that I was guilty of what I accused him of doing. There was a time not too long ago that I was not using what I had. I stopped blogging and writing for months, because I felt that I always needed to write long blog posts.
For several months I did not post anything. During my time away from blogging I agonized about what I should write. I started several posts, but I never finished them. Each time I convinced myself that those posts needed to say more. The belief that my posts needed to be more shut down my blogging.
Fortunately my desire to write and blog was stronger than my concern about word count. That desire finally made me give myself permission to publish short posts, and freed me to launch “Wise Words”, a recurring post in which I share a quick thought that I find insightful.
One insight that I gained from this experience comes from a saying that states if we do not use what we have, we will not be blessed with more. It’s not that I have to be or have more to be happy. I don’t. But I do believe that I have a responsibility to be a good steward of whatever is given to me, and that includes using the talents, gifts and opportunities that I have at any moment in time.
I may not always have the time to write a long post, but that’s okay. Not everything that I want to say requires five hundred to a thousand words. It’s more about the quality of the words that I write rather than the quantity. Sometimes less is more. After all, tweets are literally changing our world, and they are doing it in 140 characters or less.
With that in mind, I decided that my posts will be enough regardless of the word count. That decision broke away the shackles that prevented me from moving forward with my writing and helped me to start blogging again. The bottom line is that I’m committed to using whatever I have wherever I am.
Is there something that you keep putting off until you have more, or think that you are more? Do not over think it. Start now. Start where you are with what you have. Whatever we are and have at any given moment is usually more than enough for us to at least step out and start something.
“Whatever you’re ready for is ready for you.” – Mark Victor Hansen
Blessings.
See. Live. Enjoy.
