Pressure to Perform

My office is a wreck. Literally. Piles of papers, articles, books, organizers, snacks, and everything between has infiltrated my space. Lists are on list, Zoom™ meetings are scheduled back to back, classroom instruction must go on and within that space I have to force self-care to avoid becoming a maniac. Life does not take a break. It simply does not. It continues to press forward with task, or else the consequence of falling behind looms in the dusk.

I hate falling behind. And as much as I hate using the word, “hate” that reality is not far from me. It is not far from the other moms out there hustling and bustling to keep up with life and make things work.

Here is the funniest part of this all…I love every aspect of everything I do. I love the task ahead. I even love the challenge of mastering each “to-do” on my list because within that list is the liberation that I moved closer to a goal. Yet, within that goal, I sometimes wish Zoom™ meetings could be moved out, the kids could teach themselves, and a home cooked meal would magically appear at the dinner table.

World Changers, I share all this to say that no matter how much you love what you do, the pressure to perform can be overwhelming. If we are not careful, it can rob us from the joy of what we genuinely love to do. If we apply a negative attitude, or negative thoughts or words that speak against what we meticulously try to accomplish than life can become dreadful. It can easily become a “to-do” list that eventually gets thrown away while avoiding the accomplishment of the goals placed ahead.

Even while I feel the pressure to perform all these task, I also feel a glimmer of hope within each task.

Why?

Because I can see the end result. I can see the end of the line within every victory. I can celebrate in advance as I become one step closer. That within itself brings me joy.

Now, I don’t hold the answers or a magical wand. But…I do hold fast to hope and that means something.

I hope homeschooling takes the kids to new levels in learning, development and life.

I hope podcasting continues to reach thousands (maybe even millions) of people to understand

how to interact, advocate, and push to purpose.

I hope blogging provides us a safe space that tells everyone that no matter who you are, you are not alone.

I hope continued research around early intervention, parent education, and parent advocacy will change the way we approach this subject.

I hope that educators, providers, and medical providers see each client/patient as colorless…while listening more and assuming less.

These are my goals and my truths. This makes the junky office and the 1000 task not feel so bad, overwhelming or unattainable. It provides the blueprint of what and why I fight each and every day.

World Changers, take the time to reflect. Reflect what moves you to purpose. What moves you to wake up and keep going? What does the end goal look like?

Every day is not promised to be perfect-but we can be intentional and that is a quiet lesson we can deliver to our sugars.

As always, I am cheerleading for you in the corner…Until the next time…Take Care…C