Anyway, this outlines 7 interesting questions to ask yourself that might help you hone in on your purpose for life. Obviously, it's going to be different for everyone. The very first question is:
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FLAVOR OF SHIT SANDWICH AND DOES IT COME WITH AN OLIVE?
The author, Mark Manson, is asking readers to decide what kind of difficult, challenging, stinky, messy crap they are willing to slog through to fulfill their dreams. If Fred wants to be an Olympic swimmer but doesn't want to get into the pool more than twice a week...well, that's a shit sandwich Fred isn't willing to eat. If Tammy wants to be a politician but weeps every time somebody disagrees with her, she won't get past the shitty sandwich to enjoy her dessert.
I once had the idea of opening a bookstore in my small town because, sadly, we don't have one. I visited the local organization that helps with the education and establishment of small business owners. I had lunch with the very nice and honest owner of a bookstore in a neighboring town. I even called the rental company advertising a vacant space in the center of town. What I learned along the way is that the day in and day out of owning a book store requires a lot of tax code, spreadsheets, inventory lists, and budgeting. What I wanted to do was plan events and read to children and set up pretty displays. I wanted to be a positive force in the community, but as soon as I picked up a book about creating a business plan, I literally fell asleep at the coffee shop. I was focused on the goal, not the process, which does not encourage follow through. I decided that the bookstore shit sandwich wasn't a flavor I could stomach.
So how does this relate to my organization challenge? Well, I don't like cleaning. When I was little, my mom would send me up to clean my room and I would come down with our dog dressed up in cabbage patch kid clothes. She'd send me back up, and I'd come down to show her my latest lip-sync routine...that I had just been practicing when I should've been cleaning. Eventually, she or my much neater sister would come in and help. It wasn't that I didn't want a clean room...I just couldn't work out the process of how to get there. All the little steps led me to distraction...thus the dancing and dog costumes.
I'm dealing with the same issue as a 39-year-old woman. I want a clean craft room. I want an organized house. But the shitty sandwich I have to eat to get there is just so, so huge and gross, that I can't bring myself to take but tiny little nibbles at a time. And while I feel satisfied at my progress...like when I cleaned my laundry room...there are so many other better-tasting sandwiches out there, I find it hard to convince myself to spend my spare time nibbling away at this one.
Maybe I'm just making an excuse. Maybe I just need to suck it up and gobble it up. I will try...right now, in fact...and I will report back.
In the meantime, what's your favorite (or least favorite) flavor of shit sandwich? Tell me in the comments.
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| I couldn't find a picture of a shit sandwich that I was willing to put on my blog, so I went with this. |
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