do you give yourself what you offer others?
I like to be on the cutting edge of everything.
An “early adopter.”
Always the first on trend and, if I’m not that, I’m the very, very last.
I’m rarely in the middle with anything life.
First to know or *last* to find out.
And, for now, I’m OK with this fact as it keeps my life interesting.
Which brings me to a conversation I had over the weekend.
I was hanging with a friend and teasing her how my Child wishes she was her mother because my friend is consistently coiffed and fancy.
my version of motherhood rarely resembles this!
I joked how little I care about the trappings of fancy.
I made light of how, when I met the StillHusband, I arrived with an attached disclaimer:
This item will always be “in shape,” but it will rarely be in style.
It was at that moment another friend joined our conversation and shared these words:
I’d not heard the quote before and, when I said as much, my friends were shocked.
Not only had they both employed the phrase in conversation for years, they were firm believers in the veracity of the statement.
The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.
The friend who shared the sentiment clearly embodies its twelve words.
Put together. Successful. Focused. Calm. Driven. In all aspects of her life.
She mothers in the same way she’s an employee.
She’s exudes as much intensity when volunteering at school as when she’s completing an important work deadline.
She takes the same meticulous care with an adults-only dinner party as she does with school lunches.
The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.
As I glanced down at my haphazard outfit I understood what she/the quote meant:
If you will be lazy with small things then you will be lazy with big things.
As I considered the disaster my kitchen had become post-move & how organized cupboards had devolved into disarray I intellectually understood what the sentence meant:
How you approach one facet of life indicates how you will approach all of life.
Yet the more I mulled the 12 words the more I disagreed.
My kitchen drawers look like this:
So my Mom-life can look like this:
My hall closet looks like this:
So my work-life can look like this:
The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.
In that moment (and each time Ive subsequently considered the phase) I decided I don’t fit the sentiment.
For me “the way I do one thing” is merely the way I do that *one* thing.
My closet is *not* indicative of what the inside of my car looks like or of the foods I choose to feed our duo.
Name change or not I’m apparently still a misfit.
The way I do one thing is not the way I do everything.
The way I do one thing facilitates the way I may consciously choose to do all other things (which resonates with me, yet makes for a pretty cumbersome quote).
And you?
- Is the way you one thing the way you do ALL things?
- Does being less than full-throttle in one realm spark your being successful in another?
Bea says
February 21, 2018 at 5:33 amI’ve never heard this before either, but I think I am like you are. I’m amazing at work. My personal life is a mess.
MCM Mama Runs says
February 21, 2018 at 6:56 amI am more like you as well. If it’s important to me, I rock the hell out of it. If it’s not, meh, it’ll get done someday. Maybe. I can always find time or a way to make things happen – but it has to be important to me for that to happen. So, I guess for me, it’s more “The way you do one (important to you) thing is the way you do everything (important to you). The rest gets done however it gets done” LOL
Wendy says
February 21, 2018 at 6:57 amPretty sure you’ve described me to a “t”. Altho it’s been a work in progress. When I was younger, I cared much more about being on trend. Now, I can’t keep up. We went out to dinner with our boys and as always, they filled me in on everything I’m missing. But am i really missing out?
Shari E says
February 21, 2018 at 7:30 amThey use this phrase in yoga often to suggest that the way you practice on the mat will translate into how you lead your life. I think that is true, but I would not apply the phrase to everything. Prioritization is key as you show with how your spend your time — with your daughter rather than organizing closets and drawers!
Erica Berman says
February 21, 2018 at 9:07 amI am like you. I am meticulous about some things and not at all about a lot of other things. I tell my husband, the only way to get everything done is to do most things half-assed.
Jill says
February 21, 2018 at 9:59 amI’ve heard this quote before but I’ve never believed it. I think it only applies to Type A personalities (but I could be wrong) and I am more of a Type Z. I am good at following through on work projects but not so great at following through on home projects. So it’s a no from me…How I do one thing is not indicative of how I do all the other things.
Donna says
February 21, 2018 at 11:57 amI think there’s an element of that, but I also think I choose what to prioritize – which battles to fight, so to speak – and what to let go. I work at home. Some days I put on makeup and do my hair, even if I’m not going out. Most days I don’t. But a lack of brow pencil and blown dry tresses doesn’t mean I can’t be professional when I’m working on a client’s project while decked out in a hoodie and slippers. On the flip side, I’m a tedious editor/proofreader, and I’m equally tedious as a parent when it comes to certain things. It’s all about what we choose to value or ignore.
messymimi says
February 21, 2018 at 5:55 pmSome things deserve our all out attention and care. Some things can be done slapdash. It means i’m choosing which things are most important.
No, i do not agree with this statement wholeheartedly. Some things i give my whole heart. Some things i do not.
Andrea Bates says
February 22, 2018 at 8:50 amI love you. I love you for keeping it real and sharing from your soul and showing us how you live your life while inspiring us to do the same.
cherylann says
February 24, 2018 at 6:11 amRerun…
Isaiah says
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Nayec says
February 26, 2018 at 2:27 pmCarla, thanks! And thanks for sharing your great posts every week!
Marcos Rocha says
February 26, 2018 at 6:18 pmThat’s awesome, I think these things are amazing.
Catherine says
February 27, 2018 at 9:19 amI’ve heard this quote before, and I both agree and disagree with it.
On the whole – as a generalization – yeah, I approach most things in my life the same way (with attention to detail and a whole lot of heart), but, like you, I make choices (keeping a meticulous home – not important to me) that facilitate others.
I think it’s important to keep in mind that we can change! We are fluid beings and the eat eye are at one time doesn’t have to become “our story.”
Catherine says
February 27, 2018 at 9:20 am*the way we are
derupipi says
March 2, 2018 at 8:32 amDear Lynn and Sharon, Thank you so much for this devotional which looks at a different facet of this sinful” woman. I sure would love to have her confidence in anumber of areas, but, right now, teaching stands out. I”ve been teaching off and on part-time for many years, but full-time for the 9th year and find it terribly unrewarding. I”ve had directors who were quick to point out my errors and rarely complimented me, lazy, disrespectful students and absentee parents leaving me wondering where I went wrong. Somehow it was always my fault for not motivating the child, my fault for not differentiating enough, my fault for not communicating enough with the parents (who rarely speak English, since I live and work in China at an international school.) I have worked very hard in education, but I”m always left wondering if I”m really a lousy teacher and I should just quit for lack of support, encouragement and success.
Ellicia says
March 4, 2018 at 8:40 pmThat is one of those sayings that sounds pithy, profound, and deep at first glance. Upon examination, however, it sounds a bit silly.