“There is no catching up, there is only catching on.”

I don’t even know where I read this in the last few days, but this quote has sticking power for me…can’t seem to get it out of my head, so maybe I’m supposed to think about it more deeply.  Ever since the new school year began, I feel like I’m running round and round on one of those hamster wheels, not really getting anywhere.  So many things on the urgent to-do list, emails that just keep mounting up, the minutes and hours flying by.  Along with this feeling, certain book titles keep presenting themselves to me…through friends, through Twitter, they even jump out at me in the bookstore!  These titles include:  Essentialism (Greg McKeown), A More Beautiful Question (Warren Berger), How to Excellent at Anything (Tony Schwartz), The Best Yes (Lysa Terkeurst). Each title seems to be whispering to me, “Work hard on the right things.”  So here are my intentions for the new school year…

This year, I will work towards becoming an essentialist.

This year, I will wake up and remember my real purpose.

This year, I intend to create delight.

This year, I intend to grow peace.

This year, I will ask myself if the juice is worth the squeeze.

This year, I intend to work hard on the right things.

So, maybe you really never catch up, but the real goal is to catch on.  Catch on to the things you can do that will have the biggest impact.  It’s a way of seeing differently.  And the best part?  I get to choose how I will change things for the better, how I will make a positive dent in the universe.

Sharon Esswein