It’s Friday afternoon at five o’clock. You have just walked in the front door, totally exhausted from a busy day filled with frustrations and anxiety. Nothing went right. Difficulty with the air conditioning, a key person was absent, the copy machine ran out of paper, the internet connection was hit or miss, etc.
You stagger in the front door to be greeted by a bubbling, enthusiastic wife who has beaten you home and is dressed in her work clothes. She gives you a big hug, expresses delight that you did not have to work overtime because “today is the big day!” Your exhausted response is, “The big day for what?” She enthusiastically answers, “Don’t tell me you forgot! This is the day we’re going to clean the garage.”
You look at her in dismay as you protest that you absolutely cannot put one foot in front of the other, you’ve had it and the garage is going to have to wait for another day. Her enthusiasm, however, is extremely high. She assures you that working together it will take only two, three, four hours at the most. Again, you protest with even more fatigue that you just don’t have the energy to do anything.
At that critical moment the telephone rings. You struggle to pick up the receiver and, with your last ounce of energy, mutter a weak “Hello.” The voice at the other end, filled with excitement, is your golfing buddy. He explains to you that he just got a tee time at the country club in thirty minutes and that if you can make it you can get in nine holes before dark. With considerable excitement you assure him that you can make it. You enthusiastically hang up the phone and tell your bride that the garage will have to wait.
The question is, why excitement for one and dread for the other?
The answer is that the mental image of cleaning the garage was that of sweat, drudgery, discomfort, frustration, etc. The picture you have of the golf game is entirely different. You can instantly visualize yourself out on the fairways, hitting a magnificent tee shot, rolling in a long putt, hitting a beautiful approach shot and doing what you love to do on the golf course.
Question: Would it help your energy level if you changed the picture of cleaning that garage? Visualize the benefits of the time with your wife, the pride you will experience in having a clean, organized garage from which to work. Consider the possibility you might find a long-discarded treasure that has real value. The chance that you might even get a few laughs in the process of uncovering some forgotten items might appeal to you. You could even think about the things you’ll “get to do” when you’ve finished doing the things you’ve “got to do.”
The list goes on, but the bottom line is attitude does make a difference. I encourage you, when you face a normally disagreeable but “got-to-do” task, before you attack it spend a few minutes thinking about the possible benefits and good things that could happen as you work the assignment. Give it a try and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!
