The Power of Offering

In publishing the schedules were killer, at certain times of year — at some places all year — folks would work 16 hour days and through the weekend. I would find myself telling new editors to go home without work. The conversation would often be the same.

“Go on home. You’re tired. You’ll come back tomorrrow and in the first hour you’ll accomplish three times what you would do in the next hour now.”

“But I want to get this one thing done.”

“Okay, we have to do what we need to. But will you do one thing for me?”

The answer was always an anticipatory look, tinged with a fear of possible more work.

“Remember that you can only do what’s humanly possible. . . . and to think you can do more makes you a kind of snob [big grin here], because the rest of us humans can’t.”

The reply would shoulders relaxing and a move to start packing up.

When I start to get ‘whelmed and rushed, I know it’s time to slow my step. I
So often I try to do more, be more, help more than the next guy. I might try to out achieve the overachiever, but I cannot do more than is humanly possible. For me to think that is sort of arrogant. What human can do more than a human can?

I can only do what’s humanly posisible.

It’s such a nice thought. I immediately relax when I think that humans need to eat, sleep, relax, reflect, reach for balance to be effective.

I can only do what’s humanly posisible. It’s like a mantra for overachievers.

I accept it, and people start smiling. Being human is attractive. It makes other humans feel good to have me around

We can change the world — just like that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
______________
If you’re ready to change the world, send me your thoughts in a guest post. Feel free to take the gorgeous Change the World image up there that Sandy designed back to your blog. Or help yourself to this one.

Email me about what you’re doing or what we might do. Let’s change the world one bit at a time together. Together it can’t take forever.