There were days when I looked at the half a dozen newly seated tables, the people sitting there with expectation of fast and efficient service on their faces and knew I'd fail.
As only one person, I KNEW the odds of someone leaving not happy were higher than not.
It was at those times that I learned a valuable skill - to just do the next thing.
It was a waste of energy and time to go in circles, all in tizzy about what I COULDN'T do. The only thing I actually COULD do in those situations, was to just do the next thing.
Many years have gone by since the last time I asked someone if they'd like coffee or a coke, but that lesson has stood me in good stead when I find myself panicking when I'm feeling overwhelmed.
We are now almost a month into the God-sized Dream Team thing, and there have been a lot of times that I have felt that panicky, I can't do all this feeling. That sense of failing before I even start that so paralyzes me from taking any action at all.
That's when I have to remind myself - just do the next thing.
It's interesting because I'm also reading the Do What You Can Plan by Holley Gerth, and here she is saying the same thing - not about waitressing but about life.
Holley asked us what one thing we did in the past helped us to move forward. For me, it is remembering to just do the next thing.
I can either waste an enormous amount of energy and time worrying about what I can't do, or I can just do that next thing. One step may be small, but it still moves you farther along the path.
As the old proverb says, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!"
What's your next thing?
~ Blessings, Bronte
Such good advice! Just do the next thing. Thank you. When I do that, things are often not as difficult or as time-consuming as I feared.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great reminder...to just do the next thing. It IS easy to go crazy if we start thinking too far ahead, isn't it? (I know I'm that way!) Thanks for sharing...blessings!
ReplyDeleteSo true! It's way to easy to slip into panic mode when we look at the big picture! I totally needed your post today - I've been out of my office for 3 days and the to-do list waiting for me feels like Mt. Everest. Just one thing at a time - one step, not the whole list. deep breath and exhale the panic. Thanks for sharing! Blessings to you as you strive to reach your dreams!
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