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There Is No Try – Do Or Do Not

by Ruth Ann Harnisch on 01/01/10 at 4:37 am

Work ethic- it was pounded into me from earliest childhood.

Kids had chores, and were expected to exercise some creativity, ingenuity, and enterprise to earn their own money.  I can’t remember when I wasn’t busy.  I usually had more than one job – even in high school, I was working at a radio station and a newspaper.  I have always worked, seldom taken vacation or days off, and there were many years when I worked seven days a week, as many as 20 hours a day.

I just quit.

I’m on sabbatical as of this day, and for the first time in my life, I have delegated almost all of my professional obligations to trusted colleagues.  There’s some business I wasn’t able to wrap up before 2009 ended, and I’ll make sure that’s done.  I’ll go to conferences and other special events – Sundance Film Festival and TED2010 are next, followed by a Women Moving Millions event that features a Dinner Party with Judy Chicago. (If you are a woman of a certain age, this news probably triggered a hot flash.)

Last year, our priest, the Reverend Bernadette Sullivan, took a sabbatical from her duties.  When I told her I had thought of taking a sabbatical, but something always came up to prevent it, she said, “And something always will unless you put it in the calendar and begin planning for it.”  So I did.  And now it’s here.

Which is my first coaching tip for you in the New Year:  Something will always get in the way of what you want, unless you make a commitment and take action. 

I made a commitment to myself to take some time – for the first time in my life – to consciously do nothing.  I am going to try not to try.  My first yoga teacher used to try to impress upon me the importance of not “efforting” in the poses.  “It’s very difficult for overachievers to simply let the yoga happen, to not work hard,” she said. “They want to do it really well, and so they try hard, and a person who is trying hard is not doing yoga well.”  Hey, I resemble that remark.

So, I’m consciously ceasing effort.  One way I prepared for this was to start cancelling subscriptions, RSS feeds, and other time-sucking materials.  My electronic inbox isn’t as full, Mount To-Be-Read looks conquerable, and I don’t miss the information overload. 

If you’re wishing you, too, could go on sabbatical, why not enjoy a mini-respite along with me?  Stop doing something, or several things.  Look around your life and see what you can just plain quit, or delegate, or postpone, or share.  Choose one and get started on your own journey of renewal.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and do nothing.