Toil
It's a very small word, just four letters, but the scope of its meaning is incredibly broad and has affected everyone on the planet throughout history to the present day; great things have been achieved through its application and much has been lost due to failing to apply and deliver it.
We do it in our professional and personal lives, to generate income, sustain our lives and build for the future and we do it for the sheer enjoyment of it; we exchange time and effort for the rewards they bring and are repaid commensurate to those efforts.
My job is difficult, complicated, fast-paced and performance oriented. I get paid very well, there's no complaints there at all, however I have to work hard, be time-efficient, organised, knowledgeable, personable and a good communicator, strategized and highly mobile in thought and deed. It's not necessarily physical toil, but the emotional and mental strain can be every bit as difficult as the physical, sometimes more so; probably why mental health issues are on a sharp incline around the planet.
The other day I was in a country area to see a client, a global company that employ my organisations' services, for a meet and greet and discussions around the delivery of services and potential changes to better align with their changing needs. The drive there was pleasant, a few hours of rolling hills, vineyards, blue skies and little traffic. The meeting was friendly but professional, a little complicated considering the changes required, and I needed to be laser-focused. It was draining when added to the last few weeks of hectic schedule and complex dealings.
Snippets
After the ninety-minute-long meeting I departed for the drive back to where I was staying and that's when it hit me...something clicked and said, take a snippet.
The very next town I drove past was small, a shop-lined high street with a cluster of houses on both sides in typical small rural town style; it was a pretty little place and it was clear people took pride in its presentation and, as I found out at the cafe I walked into, care about how they treated those who stopped by. Yes, my snippet of time involved a cafe and cup of coffee, a little moment to relax just a little and to detach from my professional life. It wasn't long, fifteen minutes only, but I didn't look at my phone or open my laptop, I ordered coffee, had a little chat with the girl behind the counter (I love country gals and this was was cute), sipped my coffee, thanked the lass and left to get back into my day. It was glorious.
It's interesting to see how different people approach their lives I think and interesting to look back on how I've approached mine. There were times I'd plough through for days on end, weeks really, without pausing for a breath and now I tend to take small snippets of time here and there which help me hop from rock to rock in the fast-flowing river of my professional life. There's no right or wrong I guess, we all approach it differently, but that little snippet was a moment I needed to reset and it allowed me to set aim myself in the right direction again, to regain that laser focus and move forward towards it.
I wonder how you do it. Are you a snippet-seeker? Feel free to comment if you like.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
[Original and AI free]
Image(s) in this post are my own