The do do do trail…

Today, during practice 58, I walked a team through why so few people author and live their opus. The root reason is humans love doing things. We love being busy. So, we get a job and get busy getting work done. We do. We get more responsibility so we can do more. We get even more responsibility so we can do more on steroids. Pretty soon, oftentimes without our awareness, we are on the do do do trail and around every turn it’s no longer sunshine and kittens. We start to step in some do do and it kinda stinks. We burn out. We blow up. We can’t wait to stop doing and seek distractions to dull us from the chronic pain. We take the 3rd, 4th, and 5th drink. We turn to porn in the late afternoon. We turn to pills when we’re on the road. We burnout and it’s not bright. This is not opus. This is labor in some form or another and we can’t wait to get to the top of this trail where everything will be better when we finally arrive in control. Sadly, when we arrive at do do summit, it too stinks – this time to high heaven. Yikes.

The do do do trail leads right where you would expect it to if you ever slowed down enough to think about it. Few take the time ’cause they tell themselves they’re too busy to do so. Funny, huh. Opus is a labor of love and we can’t wait to do what we’ve dreamed of doing. We dream and do. Dream and do. Dream and do. We catch our breath when we reach the summit of Dream and Do mountain and look out over the horizon for another target. We can’t wait, it seems, to cover new ground, discover new trails, and try new things on this trail with seemingly no end. This is the recipe for sustained greatness. One word makes a world of difference. Laborers do do. Opus practitioners dream and do. Which one are you?

Dream and do, friend. Dream and do.

It is depressing when you think about the do do do trail, isn’t it. Yet the do do do trail, today, is filled and overflowing with people of every age, occupation, and ethnicity. The do do trail is crowded and getting moreso. 

Here’s the easy way out. The easy starting point to exiting this trail is to begin to do a few more things that you love and share them. So, if you’re feeling stuck in your labor and can’t seem to muster up the energy to turn it into your labor of love, your opus, take a few minutes and think like a kid. You do remember what it felt like back in the day, don’t you? Write out what you used to love to do when you were younger and not quite so filled with obligations and responsibilities. Imagine what it might feel like to step into a few of your “love to’s,” instead of another pile of do do. This is what it feels like when your purpose here is filled with passion. As you rinse your purpose, remember this. Good. And, get out and invest more time into a few of your love to’s that require you to move. You are meant to be in motion. So, if one of your love to’s is watching the sunset, do it. And, walk toward it. Grab a loved ones hand and ask them to walk toward the sun as it sets with you. Move. This too will give you fire for work even if it’s labor. 

Once you’re catching a bit of fire from your love to’s, take a look back at your opus and give it a rinse. Who knows, you just might be ready to really author it. See that wasn’t so hard, was it…