Inktober Day 30: Only You Can Do

In our family we are huge fans of Beatrix Potter, the Author of the Peter Rabbit stories and more. She took simple observations of animal life and invented stories that have changed the way children dream and behave. She made books for children and had them published as small books that their little hands could hold. As an entrepreneur she changed the way her community lived and survived beyond the years of her life. She sold her work, invented merchandising and bought thousand of acres around her home which she left a legacy in a land trust to persevere the woods. Courageous Multitasker is a great word pairing to describe her as a human being.

I greatly appreciate this quote from her as it perfectly describes exactly how she lived her life:

Believe there is a great power silently working all things for good, behave yourself and
NEVER MIND THE REST

– Beatrix Potter 1943

When you are working on a project – whether for work or for yourself – these comes a time when you have to focus on what is important. Everyone has an opinion, everyone has an idea. Life is busy. Things need to get done everyday that have nothing to do with your project. And just when you think you have carved out a time slot to actually do what you need to do, something side swipes your day and it all goes to pot! Yet isn’t that how life usually goes? Nothing ever really goes as planned…so what to do?

Beatrix Potter would tell you to behave yourself and never mind the rest! In other words, do what you need to do and don’t let the rest bother you. In the end it all gets done, somehow, some way…it eventually all gets done. If the dishes are in the sink for an afternoon, never mind. If the laundry piles up for one more day, never mind. If your calendar gets filled with meetings that have nothing to do with your item and no one wants to make a decision, never mind. If your alarm clock doesn’t go off, your shirt has a stain, your kids are rabble rousing in the basement, even if your personal hygiene is not full on, never mind. Do not let the little things deprive you of the time you need to take care of the big things.

Your work, your project, the things YOU want and need to do are worth putting more minor things in their proper perspective. Not everything has to be done now, today, or even this week. Not everything even has to be done by YOU. Delegate, refer, pay someone, or let it go until you have time…but do not defer what you need to do for your project. Putting yourself first is not selfish. Putting yourself first is the best way to prioritize the important over the mundane. It helps you focus and when it is done, the time you spend doing those other things will be spent in peace not out of aggravation. No one likes things done by a grumpy, angry, frustrated version of you. Doing your stuff first reminds you that YOU are important.

So as Beatrix said, behave yourself and never mind the rest. Prioritize you, then the rest will fall into place. The world needs your work out there because only you can do what YOU do!