Sometimes the Possible Is Ok

So I’ve been checking out some young entrepreneurial “bucket lists” on some personal development blogs and it really had me thinking.

At first I got really excited. I created an Evernote note to start brainstorming. These lists are inspiring!

At first I wrote down things like paying off the mortgage, putting our kids through college, traveling on fun vacations, etc.

But yesterday I came back to the list and asked what one of these kinds of lists would look like on a blog about developing a deeper spiritual life.

First let me provide a little context.

The Lists

The Impossible List (Joel Runyon of The Blog of Impossible Things

The Epic Quest (Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness)

The 1% Club (Tyler Tervooren of Advanced Riskology)

The great thing about these lists is that you can’t help but get excited about reading them. We are all born with the desire for adventure. Reading these lists gives me the kind of feeling I had when I read Wild at Heart back in college.

These lists and these guys call us out of ourselves to a life of freedom and adventure.

Without a doubt, I would send people to the lists for some inspiration. They all touch a deep part of ourselves that wants to escape the ordinary. These writers make us want to seek freedom.

Just Doing the Possible

I came to a personal conclusion about creating a list like this for myself.

I realized I needed to focus on the possible instead.

I don’t mean to say I’m not going to continue to dream big for myself and my family, but focusing on high aspirations and goals can distract us from what is really important.

Last night, as I was giving my 1 year old daughter a bottle for what felt like the 1,000th time, I was thinking about my “impossible list.” I found myself really wanting to get her down so I could go write.

Of course, like any parent might predict, she didn’t cooperate. She wouldn’t fall asleep. I laid her down and she cried for what seemed like forever. I went back into the room and she still wasn’t falling asleep.

I realized how important the ordinary, everyday life can be.

I could have skipped spending time on the couch with my wife last night to work on my business. I could have written down my impossible list of goals and posted them online to keep me accountable.

But I didn’t. I realized how important the every day things are in my life.

From the great wisdom of Bl. Mother Teresa:

“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love” – Blessed Mother Teresa

A Theme Develops

I have been spending almost all of my free time on building quality, practical resources for religious educators so this little experiment has taken the backburner.

However, I can see a clear theme developing.

From Goal-Setting to Habit-Setting

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

After writing this post, I realized the last two posts I have written all follow a theme: focus on habits, not goals to find true fulfillment.