I saw something interesting this morning as I was reading through Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper (sidetone: if you are not subscribed to her Sunday Paper, I highly encourage you to be – it’s a beautiful little newsletter that has become part of my Sunday morning ritual to re-center and re-charge myself for the week ahead; you can find a link to the paper and to subscribe here). What caught my attention this morning was a short article about taking the time to think of what you want to be this week by Lewis Howes.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m a big list person. I make lists all the time. Weekly lists, daily lists, work lists, home lists, grocery lists. I have an on-going list in my phone of house repairs, and a Goodreads account to keep track of my book lists. I love lists. As someone who is a touch ADD, lists help me organize myself and get done everything I need to get done. If it’s not on a list somewhere, it’s most likely not getting done (and even if it is on a list, there’s no guarantee it’ll get done soon). I’d be lost without my lists.
And with all of these lists, the most common list people make is the “to-do list.” A list of things you need to do and get done. I need to go buy groceries. I need to pick up prescriptions. I need to do laundry. To-do lists are a great tool to make sure we finish everything we need to do throughout the week.
But what if, instead of making a “to-do” list every Sunday, we started making “to-be” lists? What if we took the time each Sunday to reflect on ourselves and make a conscious decision about who we want to be going into a new week?
I loved this idea when I saw it. It makes so much sense. For minds that are charged by lists, it just makes sense to practice this bit of mindfulness once a week by making a different kind of list.
So, I tried it today. Instead of making out my to-do list for the week (which, let’s be honest, I will still do later today), I made a “to-be” list for this week:
- I want to be present for those who need me.
- I want to be focused on what I can accomplish this week, and not so much on what I can’t.
- I want to be a good partner for Griffin and a good mama to our fur babies.
- I want to be calm and positive.
And while I am still a hardcore advocate of the to-do list, I am anxious to see how this new “to-be” list mantra plays out in the week ahead. Will it truly help me throughout the week? Will I find that come Saturday, I made the conscious choice to be a better person, to be more patient and kind with people? I’d like to think so. When we make a conscious decision to be a certain way or behave in a certain manner, I truly believe that it comes to fruition.
So here’s to a week of to be instead of to do. Happy Sunday!