Everyone knows what they don't want. It's what a person wants that is hard to discover. What makes you happy? What gives meaning to your life? What is it you really want?
This is the season of Lent which began on Ash Wednesday. It is a tradition in the Christian Church that has lasted over 1500 years. It is a reflection on the temptations of Jesus which lasted 40 days.
The significance of Ash Wednesday comes from Genesis 3:19 which says, ". . . for dust you are and to dust you shall return." A result of disobedience to God. We are to set aside a period of 40 days for fasting and repentance to turn back to God. Christians since the 19th century have marked their foreheads with ashes as a sign of repentance.
During this Lenten season I would like to also recommend, besides a period of fasting, a giving up of a word we are all familiar with: procrastination. Webster's New World Dictionary defines procrastination this way: "to put off doing something unpleasant until a future time."
This would be something very constructive to give up during this season of Lent. If you have to clean your whole house, do it one room a day. If you need to get your office cleaned up and put away, do it a section at a time. Those people you have been meaning to write a thank you letter to - do it now. Those who you need to say you love - do it now. Write down what you need to do. Sigmund Freud once said, "that which we don't want to do, we forget to do."
This will be a great time to simplify your life. Strive for balance in your life. Too many projects may actually end up being just projects that never get done. Set whatever goals you want to achieve and pray for the resolve to do it. Instead of dreaming about things you want to do - put work clothes on those dreams.
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