It's a Dirty Job--and You Have to Do It!
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“I can say the willingness to get dirty has always defined us as a nation, and it’s a hallmark of hard work and a hallmark of fun, and dirt is not the enemy.”
I love home improvement shows. I especially love the ones where they perform a radical transformation in a weekend. I used to marvel at how everyone on camera stays so neat and clean throughout the project. That has rarely been my experience. I’ve met more than a handful of people who relate more to me than those perpetually well-kept people on television.
What you don’t see is the off-camera crew that is doing most of the “heavy lifting”. Why? Because construction, renovation, remodeling of any significance is not sexy. It’s messy. You’re going to get dirty. It can be downright unpleasant, you might even break a nail. And guess what? It’s all part of the process.
I believe this is one of the reasons we abandon our goals. The microwave society in which we live, has conditioned us to want what we want yesterday and with minimal effort. As a result we’re blindsided when we find ourselves in the struggle that is the messy, dirty part of the process. It’s not pleasant, so we abandon ship when we’ve struggled for too long—which is usually not long at all.
Here’s what I’m discovering:
Getting dirty is part of the process, period. Any time I have not made peace with this fact, it shows up in my life as procrastination in my quest for perfection; analysis paralysis; and/or preemptive damage control. We can continue to fight it or we can choose to flow with it. How does it show up with you?
Failure is not final. You ate a hamburger for lunch while on your diet, so what’s the use? You may as well give up, right? WRONG! Failure is not final. It ain’t over until either (a) you win or (b) you die. Short of either of those two things happening, failure is nothing more than feedback. The next time you experience what feels like failure to you, instead of beating yourself up about it, ask yourself: “What did I do right?” Give yourself credit for that. Then ask, “What can I learn from this?” “What might I need to do differently?” And then do it.
Tomorrow is a new day. This is my personal mantra. Tomorrow is a new day that brings with it a new opportunity to renew our commitment. It’s a new opportunity to rise a little higher than we did on yesterday. Maybe I eat another burger today, but I made it to dinner before I blew it. Take the win. Tomorrow is a new day.
Success can be a dirty job. Just remember, “dirt is not the enemy.” Please post a comment below to share your thoughts.
Blessings!
Dawn
Your Toolbox Diva® (and fellow Champion Under Construction®)
Building Tomorrow’s Champions Today®