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The Myth of Getting it All Together

Series: From My Perspective | Story 10

One day, I’ll get it all together…

I say this every year about the time I get ready to file my taxes. And each year, I do have it a little more together than the previous year, but in my mind, still not together enough.

I guess what I mean by “getting it all together” is being organized. In terms of taxes, it means all of my receipts in one spot, all of my expenses, all of my income and special documents needed for this purpose, and maybe a spreadsheet that had all of that information, in one handy spot, ready to just transfer numbers to the correct filing documents.

In past years, I was lucky to still have receipts. Three years ago I implemented a space on my desk with a decent-sized basket to keep all of my business receipts for the year. Ok – all my receipts in one place, check.

Then, as I started having more shows, teaching engagements and places where I consigned my work, I had monthly income statements from various sources. In my mind, they should just go with the receipts. So, in the basket they went, and continue to go. Ok – income documents in one place, check two.

All incoming documents, 1099’s, W-2’S - any special tax documents for the year - were also put in this basket. So everything finally was all in one place. Whew, taxes should be easy, right? Um, easier than past years, true, because I wasn’t hunting for everything, but still, not easy enough to make me just want to jump in and get it done.

Oh yeah, that spreadsheet I said I wanted… I started one, three years ago. But, as with any organizational program, you actually have to use the darn thing, and by you, I really mean me. So here I am now, taking all of those receipts and entering them into the spreadsheet, month-by-month. Looking back (and now forward) it’s something I should just do on a daily basis. In my mind, that looks like before I put the receipt in the basket. Then I start to question if the basket is really the best idea. Maybe not, I think to myself. Maybe what would be better are little envelopes, labeled with a month. Yeah, yeah, that will work, I excitedly tell myself. So, this year, I have 12 envelopes that sit in my little basket, and my plan is to enter the receipts into my spreadsheet before they go in the envelope.

So with a different plan in place, next year should be a breeze. But this year, I still have many a receipt to go through, and this past year was a much slower year than my norm. Of course I’ll get to next year, and undoubtedly find something else to implement to make the process easier for the following year after that. It’s progress, I tell myself, and try not to be discouraged.

Like everything in life, getting it together is a process. Most of us don’t get it right the first time; we have to make little adjustments along the way. In my tax example, it’s an annual thing that I think about. But what about the other things in life that we want to get it all together in? Maybe you want to get your finances together, or meal planning, or a routine that works with your schedule, or whatever. This list is probably endless, which is why getting it ALL together is actually just an illusion.

I think a light bulb just went off above my head as I typed that last sentence.

I think sometimes we think we should be able to get everything together “just like that.” Anyone else relate? You think, okay, I’m going to do X, Y, Z, and I’m going to have my ducks-in-a-row, and then you find you don’t, or it didn’t work the way you thought it would. So you adjust, change direction, come up with a different idea, see if that works, and if not, do it again until you find something that does. Then you move on to the next area in your life where you think you need to get it together and repeat the steps, and so on and so on.

Here’s the thing… we’ll never have it all together. There will always be something that needs adjusting, tweaking or getting rid of altogether. I’ve been struggling most of my adult life with having every aspect of my life organized and together. As I sat down to write my column this week, I realized a couple of things. I can have areas of my life that are together, or mostly together, but there will always be areas that need work. Nothing in life, including plans are perfect.

We’ve been taught (or maybe it’s just me) that in order to feel successful, things have to be organized, together and, well, perfect. But what if that’s not true at all? What if that’s the myth we’ve been taught to keep us always striving for perfection? What if, instead of buying into the myth, we seek our own version of success?

If you’re like me, a person who thinks they can have it all together, I invite you to take a breath along with me and release the need for perfection. Strive for excellence and make adjustments for things that need to work in your life, but let the idea of having it all together, or the notion that one day you’ll “get it all together” dissipate. Instead, relax in knowing you’re doing the best you can at this very moment with what you have, and honestly, that’s good enough.

 

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