Do you still believe your burden will disappear by waiting?

I have just as many chickenshit tasks on my plate as anyone else.

I work full time, I have a family to take care of, I have hobbies and projects that I want to do.

And yet, I don’t perceive myself as the victim of an endless stream of tasks. I trust that I have plenty of time to do everything that’s important to me. I frame my tasks in the most constructive and motivating light possible.

What mindset do you hold? Does it foster growth, or enable avoidance and resistance?

It’s like, well, if everything is just one more thing to do, then you’ve already acknowledged you’re part of an inevitable stream. So why not start now? If it’s all pointless bullshit anyway, then you may as well break the cycle of inaction. Your burden won’t disappear by waiting.

Sure, it would be nice if you did nothing and things just went away on their own. But that only works with bad haircuts and parking tickets. Edison famously said that genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration. I think his mantra also works if you replace the word perspiration with perception.

Because when it comes to things you have to do, it’s mostly mindset.

One reason the story I tell myself is, this is one more step toward progress, is because it makes it easier to find intrinsic rewards. I’m less likely to view things as hollow obligations.

Whereas if I look at my desk as being cluttered with a bunch of just one more things, I might hurl myself out of the window.

See the difference?

One more thing means weight; one more step means progress.

One more thing says fixed, one more step says forward.

One more thing indicates avoidance; one more spot indicates motivation.

One more thing equals short term obligation; one more step equals long term purpose.

Most people don’t consider that distinction, but when you flesh it out side by side, it’s a no brainer.

Let me share a story about progress that exemplifies this distinction.

Koppelman, an award winning screenwriter and director, faced consistent resistance from movie studios regarding the tone of the characters in his film project. He could not get the movie green lit.

So to keep himself motivated, he had custom tennis shoes made with the title of his movie project written on them a hundred times. He wore those shoes every day as a reminder to take one step toward getting the movie financed, no matter how small the progress seemed.

The shoes symbolized his commitment to consistent action despite the obstacles.

That’s one more step thinking.

Koppelman wasn’t overwhelmed by the daunting task of getting a movie made. The work was hard and long, but nothing was just one more thing to do. Which is why that movie was finally made and received positive reviews. Ebert himself even said it was one of the lead actor’s finest performances.

See what happens with a growth mindset?

It’s the best insurance policy money can’t buy. If you can’t change the task, change how you perceive it. What else is there to do all day? Bitch and moan about your crushing burden?

Hell, you should be grateful to be overwhelmed. Just ask anyone who’s been saddled with depression. I’ve been there before, and let me tell you, when you’re all alone in bed with nowhere to be and all of the time in the world to get there, you would give your middle testicle to feel overwhelmed again.

What luxury that would be. To have tasks and responsibilities and people counting on you to do activities that use your skills and talents? Sounds awesome to me.

Like the old song lyric goes, the only burden is having nothing to carry.

Anyway, I would write more on this subject, but it’s just one more thing to do.

Do you still believe your burden will disappear by waiting?