Work as Play: FMF Reflection

I got to play in the garden this morning. It was a beautiful morning; a cool breeze kept me company, the earth wet and squishy from the rain. Although I usually dread pulling weeds, today they practically jumped out of the soft ground. As I made my way around the beds, I savored the multi-colored blooms smiling back at me, taking time to stop and admire the ones most flamboyantly seeking my attention.

Doing chores is work. But everything I treasure most has an aspect of boring or otherwise unappealing work involved. Although I prefer planting new flowers and deadheading the spent blooms, weeding is part of the business of gardening. Coaching my clients brings me nothing but joy, but I don’t always relish the paperwork and marketing involved with running my business. Even the beach house we will soon visit on vacation requires consistent sweeping to stay ahead of the sand-covered floors.

Recently my coach helped me reframe some overwhelming tasks I needed to get done. She invited me to consider the reason I do the work that I do; the passion I feel for my message, my writing, and my clients. Through our conversation, I was reminded that feeling overwhelmed is sometimes part of doing something important and I could choose how I approached the work that needed to be done.

Instead of I have to do _____, I get to do _______.

Once again connecting with my friends over at Five Minute Friday. Today we are playing with the word PLAY. Check out all the other 5 minute reflections HERE.