How many times do you catch yourself saying that in a month…a week…a day?
Lately, I catch myself doing it constantly.
I recently transitioned to a new job, where I get to mentor and curate experiences for disadvantaged students pursuing STEM degrees. (STEM is short for science, technology, engineering, and math). It is truly a blessing to aid in developing aspirants at this crucial crux between their present and their future. And, as a perfectionist, it is also a lot of hard work. So much so, that I caught myself saying, “Phew, I made it, ” too many times for comfort in the past few months.
This began to carry over into my passion projects, Temple Fit (wellness empowerment) and AB Creations (inspirational writing + speaking), and life in general. I had to get real with myself. I stopped to ask Asha this question,
You made what?
If we take a look at the “Phew, I made it” mentality, it’s a discomforting blend of surprise + relief. We’re surprised that we were able to accomplish so much, barely beating the buzzer. And we are relieved we don’t have to endure the consequences of being late or submitting a sub-par product. (In fact, the perfectionist in me probably sprinkled some glitter atop the bow on that nicely wrapped and churned-out-in-the-nick-of-time “product” of which we speak! Lol). Then we wash our hands and move on to tackle yet another major project with little to no time to spare.
We only mean to do this once or twice, but it seems our lofty schedules have us “phewing” our way through life!
When we practice this pattern, not only does it leach away at the “abundance” we should be experiencing in life (John 10:10), but it also cause us to abandon one important right God granted us at Creation: Dominion.
Genesis 1:28 says that God gave us dominion over “every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” Does this not include ourselves? Why then, are we “phewing” through life, surprised and relieved at the ambiguous “it” we made? Instead, we should be exercising our dominion and celebrating the experience of actually making something. Ask yourself,
“What exactly did I make out of this situation?”
Did I make an opportunity to grow, learning that I work best when I have four major goals outlined for the day and a few mini-goals to support each major goal? Did I make peace when I scheduled specific times to check my email, so I’m not distracted every five minutes? Did I make myself proud when I passed on eating out for lunch and ate the meal I prepared? Did I make joy when I walked away from my desk at the time I’m supposed to, instead of staying an extra two to three hours to finish “just one more thing”? (I’m still working on that one. Tehe).
Whatever it is you “make” throughout the day, take time to own it and celebrate it.
Challenge yourself to replace, “Phew, I made it,” with, “I made <insert exact description here>”.
Doing this will provide you with the opportunity to evaluate, reflect, and reclaim dominion over all of your lived experiences, perfectionist approved or not. 🙂
Dr. Asha—speaker, educator, published author, and radio host—is aptly known as the Creator of Healthy Conversations. Her life purpose is to teach the busy and overwhelmed how to live life abundantly. She is an educational consultant and owner of the Temple Fit Company, LLC, and she is the director of Temple Fit Health, Inc. faith-based wellness nonprofit organization. Grab one of Dr. Asha’s recent books and book her for your upcoming program.