I recently discovered an author that may be my new favorite. Have you read any Jen Lancaster books? It looks like her “thing” is to do something for a certain amount of time and then write about the experience. Not only are her reflections honest, they are completely 100% hilarious. It’s not often that a book can make me laugh out loud, but that happened more times than I could count while reading The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I’m Never Getting All That Glitter Off of the Dog
As you can guess from the title, this book was about trying to live a life in a “WWMSD” fashion, where the “MS” is Martha Stewart. Our heroine tries many projects like hand-blowing Easter eggs and organizing cabinets. Along the way she realizes that life in Martha-land is actually much simpler than one may think (cuz you really don’t have to go all out if you really don’t want to.)
All is not perfect in this world though. Throughout the year, Jen deals with a sick pup, Maisy. Actually, I think the best lesson from the book comes from the chapter dedicated to the dog.
What a basic, honest, doable, perfect sentiment to get us moving! Don’t half-ass it; do your work (at the office, in the gym, with your children, in the kitchen, on your yoga mat, etc.) with 100% gusto and it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll get something back in return. That something might just be the internal feeling of good will, but that’s worth something, no?
I love this phrase. May I suggest you print out the picture like I did and put it someplace you’ll see it often?
Which brings us to our homework for this week – what two things can you do awesomely? (Is that a word?!)
Here are some examples to get you thinking:
- I will spend 20 minutes with my kids every night where I am fully present in the activity at hand.
- I will bring a more positive outlook to the workplace and make a point to compliment one coworker every day.
- I will leave my cellphone, to-do list, and worries in my locker when I attend a yoga class. They will all be there upon my return.
- I will take my dog for a walk every day. If the weather is too crummy to go outside, we will instead snuggle on the floor.
- I will spend time every Sunday prepping for the week’s dinners to ensure my family has nutritious, yet healthy homemade food more often than not.
- I will spend 30 minutes every day doing something that only benefits me with no worries about others during this time.
I would love to hear about your plans if you’re willing to share. Good luck!
