OOPS!
Warning: this is a no-edit zone…
“If it’s a good idea, go ahead and do it. It is much easier to apologize than it is to get permission.” —Grace Murray Hopper
I love quotes. Love them. I get one every morning and I honestly believe they’re homed in on me to address what’s on my mind that day.
I’m still digging out–getting things set up on the new computer, recreating the zillion things that need recreating–so I’ve been super time-crunched. (You know what I mean: I hope to get the To-Do page down to 5 pages today. [hope springs eternal!])
Anyway, this morning came too soon and I was sluggish. In the office until midnight doing this week’s radio show for Everyday Woman. So I was dragging when I came in. And yet, just as soon as I crossed the threshhold into the office, I got this idea for a new special project. It’s a good one. And it could benefit a lot of authors. And it irritated me.
What? I stopped cold. Since when does getting a new idea that could benefit people irritate? That shook me up a little and it made me stop and think. The to-do list, recreating the proposals lost, yada yada. So many things yelling, “Take care of me next!” That had to be the source. I’m just dog-tired. And yet…
I decided that needed some serious thought–priorities are getting skewed under the pressure–and so I thought I’d check email while I pondered. And there it was, this quote. This little quote.
I laughed. Embrace the new idea, and if necessary, then apologize. Seemed like good advice. “I’m sorry, I told myself. This special project is worth the time and effort and it’ll do good things for folks. That’s important to me. I’m doing it.”
And so with a clear conscience and a sense of acceptance, today I start a new special project for my special projects web site.
Maybe it’s because the permission necessary to engage and the apology required was from me to me, but that little laughter that came with the quote did my heart good. And it reminded me of something equally important.
It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day essentials only to find that most of those things aren’t really essential. They seem essential because we’ve attributed that importance to them. But in the bigger scheme of things, they’re just blips on the screen of life.
Ideas, on the other hand, are gifts. And ideas that benefit others are missions. That’s too significant to ignore.
Whew. Priorities are back in line. Peace has returned and I’m eager to get going on my day. And the moral of this little story is…
Never underestimate the power of words–even a few of them!
Blessings,
Vicki
Vicki Hinze
Writing: www.vickihinze.com
Talk Shows: www.everydaywoman.com
Speciall Projects site: