Thursday, January 11, 2007

Finish Your Plate

So I’m back at the computer. I’m trying to figure out why, as my list of things to do grows, my interest in doing those things decreases. I think it’s like going to dinner at one of those buffet places. I like to get a plate with a little bit of a lot of things because that’s one of the primary benefits of a buffet. But after even just a few bites, I remember that there are other options. I don’t want to get filled up on my first plate, so I go back for more. I neglect Mom’s advice to finish what’s on my plate first.
Oddly enough, I don’t end up overeating in these cases. I’ve may eat only a few bites of many things, maybe not even a whole meal’s worth because I’m overly concerned about what else I could be missing.
It’s kind of the same thing in the rest of my life. I started out the year, the month, the week, the day, with a certain number of things to do. Some of them didn’t get done. Yet this doesn’t stop other things from being added to the list. Naturally, I want to make some progress on some of the newer things. Newer things are more relevant, more timely, more hopeful somehow. So how come I’m stuck?
I get stuck because I haven’t finished what’s on my plate. When I try to move on to newer, more interesting things, I end up not finishing much of anything. The little voice in my head tells me I’m getting ahead of myself. So it’s time to take a step back and assess what’s on my backlist of things to do.

2 comments:

Karen Wingate said...

Very true! Great comparison. Thanks, Nancy.

LeAnne Benfield Martin said...

Wise advice. I'm trying to learn to finish my plate too.

LeAnne