Common Sense

Have you ever tried to do something but it didn’t come together like your imagination saw it happening, where you worked really hard but it still took a nosedive in the ocean?

A frustrating situation makes you question everything, and no one is safe around you because of a stinky attitude.

I asked my husband the other day, “Why is everything we like to eat bad for us? Like Oreos, Doritos, and deep-dish pizza?”

And, “Why do we live here in this little flat town in southern Oklahoma and not at Lake Tahoe or Carmel-by-the-Sea?”

“And why do I struggle with my business?” (The perceived REAL problem, I’ll admit.)

And why, and why, and why….I never waited for answers. He can’t answer rhetorical questions, so he didn’t even try.

Poor, poor pitiful me. Some days are like this.

But yesterday, my hope was renewed, and inner Eeyore dissipated. Thank goodness for short attention spans!

Dave Ramsey of Baby Step Millionaires admitted to a caller on his show; he said 95% of his ideas were terrible, but 5% turned out well.

I was delighted to hear this from such a successful man.

“Yes! Yes!” I agreed because I relate to this wholeheartedly by walking that road a thousand times.

That 5% was all Dave needed to get where he is today. A millionaire several times over.

After he said this, I turned off the TV and repeated it.

I wanted to remember it because I tend to think everything goes easier for people like Dave.

It doesn’t mean he’s tried all of his ideas, but I believe he meant (my take on the whole message) he just thought about them. And then probably talked them over with someone who helped sort his ideas out.

His wife, I assume, is the main person who helps him keep in alignment with his purpose. That’s a key. Alignment.

All my ideas are run past my husband, and when I hear them out loud, it’s then I usually realize what a dumb idea it is, if the look on his face doesn’t beat me to it.

Or, it might be one of the few good aligned ideas.

Business ideas or creative ideas are always going around in my head. But it’s the ones that are shelved for a while that I wait to see if they still bug me months later. If they do, I may do a trial run and see where it takes me.

As Dave mentioned, success wasn’t easy.

Easy and success don’t usually go together, at least for most of us.

Success will be hard work. Not like hard and miserable. But hard and fun. Hard and purposeful.

If one ends up miserable, it’s not worth it. That goes for anything. It’s just common sense.

I’ve been minimally successful so far, but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve done, so who’s to say I am struggling? (Besides the impatient me.)

My imagination is big, and I want to go big and get everything done in about an hour.

But, of course, it doesn’t work that way.

Common sense is taking steps. Success is in the stages while keeping the focus on the large vision.

Refrain from dismissing your common sense.

You may have learned something from a quack, and your common sense said, “Hold up a minute! Let’s think about this!”

But you didn’t, so things flopped, and you got discouraged.

Here’s a test. If your child or grandchild is watching you, and you had to pass on your life template to them, would you be glad to pass it down?

Makes one think.

Common sense is the wisdom to do what is right.

It keeps us on track to think about the long run. Eating Oreos, Doritos, and pizza every day is not common sense.

We know this.

Makes one fat and unhealthy, and as much as these taste yummy, staying healthy is the main goal in the long run.

It’s not common sense to go all out on a risky project, either, but take the risk if you’ve shelved it for a while and the idea is still hanging around.

Start the steps to the whole vision. Progress one step at a time.

Please don’t ignore it, either.

If it bugs you and you want to do it, begin the process.

Much love,

Sharon