“We have a saying at my company for situations like this: Improvement today, perfection tomorrow.” _David Cairco
*****
Have you ever given the word “should” much thought?
Why is it that one of the first full sentences we learn to form as little children is, “That’s not fair!”
The reason is, even as children, we realize that there is a way things should be and when we see a gap between what should be and what actually is we cry foul!
But “should” is a very potent word that must be handled wisely and used sparingly.
The word “should” is a very potent word that must be handled wisely and used sparingly.
On one hand, focusing on how things should be can give us hope and inspire us to take positive action and endure through tough times.
But on the other hand, focusing too much on how things should be can be very dissatisfying. For the moment you start thinking in terms of how things should be or “they should have known better” you begin to get bogged down – like trying to run in the deep end of a swimming pool.
There may be a thousand steps between how things should be and how they are right now.
There may be a thousand mess ups and resulting consequences required before someone actually does know better.
And, in some cases, things may never be the way they should be.
So what is the answer?
The cynic’s and pragmatist’s “It is what it is and there’s nothing we can do about it” is not the answer. Neither is the outrage and anger of the self-righteous activist.
The answer is never losing sight and hope that things can be as they should be while at the same time taking things as they are and making the best of it without complaining, whining, criticizing, and casting blame.
The answer is adding value where you can, alleviating pain as you can, sharing other’s sorrow, and being quick to extend grace, forgiveness, and mercy and trusting in the power of love.
It’s a long hard slog to get to Eden, my friend. Don’t get in hurry and don’t lose hope.
The ONE THING for today:
My friend, David Cairco, once remarked to me when I found myself in a frustrating situation that was not as it should be, “We have a saying at our company for situations like this: Perfection tomorrow, improvement today.”
Good advice.
The ONE THING 