I have unfinished work.

There are times I forget about the ant and drift in laziness. But there are other forces at play causing drag in my work. 

The two main factors are equal but opposite. On one hand there is too much to do. The workload is overwhelming so sometimes I do nothing. Then there are times I work until the point of exhaustion — driving hard because I’ve staked my identity on the feedback of others.
The second one looks productive but grasping for perfection generally results in projects that get stale because they are never finished. The high mark can’t be reached.

In both cases the work remains undone. 

But I learned a solution from my friend Dan. He is a master tile worker and he gave me some of the wisest work advice I’ve ever heard…

“Just get the tile on the wall.”

In other words, do something. One piece at a time and mistakes are ok. Simply start the work and pivot as needed. Sounds easy. But if it were I’d already be doing it. So where is the breakdown?

If I still believe it is up to me, I won’t be able to focus on one tile at a time, I will just stare at the big, empty walls. And if I believe I have to prove myself, the mortar will dry before I finish the first row.

First there has to be an internal shift — from running solo to operating as a son.

Once I see God as Father everything changes. If God is my Father, I have access to the reserves of heaven. So the amount of work is no longer overwhelming. And if God is my Father, my place in the family business is secure and there is no need to prove myself. No more striving.

From that place I can get to work and finally make some headway. Speaking of which, I finally got a toilet paper dispenser installed in the bathroom (it only took three months).