When Something Really IS Better Than Nothing
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"Well it's better than nothing ..."
And sometimes, that little bit of something is better than nothing. Maybe that hateful slog of a slo-mo run is better than nothing; maybe showing up to your office and just getting through the g-d day is better than nothing. Maybe a fast, careless creative session of writing or drawing is better than nothing. Maybe a quick conversation with your teen is better than nothing.
But is it true? Let's say you're having a low mojo day like I am today. Isn't it easy to say, especially on a Monday, "As long as I show up and just get through this godforsaken day I'm a star!"
Well screw that, I say. I want to go to bed feeling like I at least did something well. And by "well" I mean, I made an effort to do something that makes me feel accomplished at the end of the day, especially something I want to put off, like: this blog post, or concentrating for a good hour with all my attention on a pain-in-the-ass work project, or getting outside for a brisk half hour walk.
I don't know about you but I may have used up about all the half-assed days I want to. (OK, I know there will be more but I'm willing to keep them to a minimum.)
Here's another (sports) example of doing something small with a big effort:
Last month I bailed on my longer sloggier runs for a two-mile run at the track. I would NEVER have done something like this, ordinarily. And I wasn't really in a running mood, either. So I turned on RunTracker on my iPhone so I could get a virtual coach telling me how fast I was going for some inspiration.
I ran those two miles. And I ran them, fast-- faster than I ever thought I could run. It was exhilarating! My body felt alive and proud of itself, my mind felt alert, my spirit was humming. Compared to those 4-6 mile joyless slogs, this was by far a better use of time. My body felt good the next day too. My chiro told me it was because running fast puts your body in a good position, rather than being slow and sloggy, where you have bad form, bad posture and stress the body. Interesting, eh?
And now, when I am having a low-mojo Monday, I ask myself:
Where can I have a two-mile burst of greatness?
So my invitation to you:
How can you do Something that is so much better than Nothing, that it shows you what you're made of?
Have fun!