Keeping the Desert for the End

Do what you got to do so you can do what you want to do. (Denzel Washington)

I was on a business trip around the world and unfortunately didn't do so well. My first stop was in Japan, and the first business day I thought it was a smart to schedule a business dinner, hoping that iron discipline could somehow keep me awake. Well, bad mistake, my jet lag kicked in and I had to get up one time during the dinner just pretending I had to go to the restroom for otherwise I would have fallen asleep right in front of the monotone presenter.

The second two days I was much smarter. I scheduled dinner with friends, and all through the brutal, sleep-deprived work days I simply visualized how I would sit happily with them for dinner with beer in hand. It turned out the carrot in front of the tired donkey did the trick. The yummy Japanese cuisine and the friendly faces of my dinner companions made up for the otherwise tough going. On my last stop in Europe I did the same thing. I scheduled a lunch just before I heading back to the airport and the vision of my happy encounter with my friend kept me going. In the end the lunch made up for an arduous stop in Europe as well. My friend was able to introduce me to a new Facebook community, allowing me to increase my spiritual connections and my viewership.

Try visualizing the desert and the glass of wine at the end of a long day. Treat yourself with something you are really passionate about. These days when I get bogged down by work I visualize my upcoming book project. That's an avocation that keeps me going even when by bread-and-butter occupation provides some headache. The Denzel Washington quote from above said it all. You already know what you got to do, but how can you treat yourself at the end of the day?