Have To List
It’s a common practice to make a list. There is so much to remember that the list provides some comfort that the required stuff will be accomplished. Lists work as well for children as adults because it decreases the chances of having to ask the same hundred questions over and over. Children also learn to make their own lists and can demonstrate their competency. The grocery list is a common way for a family to let everyone else know what they can’t live without. And no one wants to forget to buy toilet paper these days. Inevitably, if something is left off the list and you try to remember it, you won’t. Your mind is highjacked by all of the other steps necessary to find the stuff on the list. And there are people who really try to stick to the list as if it is a tragedy to pick up something they need but forgot to include. They feel defeated because they didn’t stick to their original notes.
Want To List
Some night when you are having a little trouble settling your mind, try and think about what is on your list of things you want to do in life. Thinking in the dark makes it easier to have wide-awake dreams of snorkeling in foreign waters, preparing the perfect roasted chicken, figuring out how to dress with more style or learn to like those you envy. These don’t have to be big picture ideas, but when we dream, we like to expand our thoughts. On a more personal scale, it is possible that you really need to figure out how to convince a family member to go along with something they don’t want to, call a doctor to check on a reoccurring pain or find a pair of shoes that your child will keep on their feet. These seem smaller but they take up the same amount of space in your thought process. Because they are not considered dreams, they don’t get listed either. Their status of importance doesn’t deserve that kind of serious thought.
Want vs Have
Surprisingly, the things we don’t list are usually the pesky ones. They may occur more frequently or just annoy us because of their constant whining. Before smartphones, people used to pay extra to have their phone number kept out of phone directories. The mere absence of their name and number made them invisible and hard to connect with. The annoying things are just like that. We haven’t made them important enough to solve so they slip through life day after day. If you could make a list for these little buggers and solve one, you would feel like a miracle worker. You could create a list of mysteries to figure out and get everyone involved who had a stake in the issue. You wouldn’t even have to look for the clues all by yourself. I am fairly sure that if you asked a child why they couldn’t keep their shoes on, you would get a longish answer that listed the reasons. Remember, you taught them to make lists.
I don’t want to
There are few statements spoken more often in life. If you counted the number of times that you hear it in your own head, the infinity sign would have to get involved. It is our fastest response to everything. The real truth of life is that you may never want to do anything. Literally. Getting out of bed, putting up with other humans, not having the chance to watch Netflix all day or eat whatever we want when we want to is all included. We associate our having to do stuff with a lack of freedom. Actually, it seems like we are right unless you decide to choose some of the stuff you do. To help this project, make a list. Write down all of the things you do all day and include all of the mundane tasks along the way. Later, go back and see if you chose any of them and why. If you are able to put a positive answer to any of these whys, it can create some better feelings. More importantly, the ones that did not give you a good reason for having to be done should be placed on a separate “watch” list. These are the tasks you do that you may want to change if you can. They are pointing to the parts of your life that can improve. Solving a few of those issues will really give you momentum. And your lists will show you how choosing what goes on in your life gives you more freedom.
Are you a victim of a list that you are choosing to make? Can you separate the have to and the want to in your life right now? Are you free?
