One Thing At A Time

My mother noticed my pale face as I sank into the sofa after a long day at work. If there is one person who knows me the best, it is my loving mom. Her incredible ability to empathize, be it the most difficult situation or the most complicated problem or even the happiest moments amazes me. In fact it shocks me sometimes that it is possible for a person to be so caring, understanding and strong all at the same time. 

I am blessed that my mother is such a loving parent, my go-to friend and my mentor for life. 

My mother asked me if everything was okay and I told her that I had been failing to do my tasks since a good few weeks. She paused a little and asked if I had too much on the platter. To which I immediately responded saying, " I have as much as I can handle."

My mom explained to me that, being able to do a lot and choosing to do it all are two different things. Of course I may be capable of accomplishing a lot but if I am not aware of what would happen to the quality of work, peace of mind, work-life balance and productivity it makes me no sense at all to keep a big list of to-do tasks and continue doing them one after the other until I am exhausted. 

Additionally, if I delayed learning the art of "prioritizing" and "one thing at a time" it will only cause me anxiety and give me little or even no success. At the end of the day, there is false fulfillment which can be perilous in the long run.

I thought about it. Many years later I am still using "one thing at a time" and "priorities" as a basis of working and living. Practising it is quite hard; nevertheless it is so worth.

This pattern helps me adopt a Mindful living style. Truly I can't thank my mother enough for leading by example and for literally transforming how I approached life itself. Isn't it all about little changes?