Painting Your Way to Success

My wife and I are settling into our new home, and she has assigned herself the job of painting every inch in the house. Not because we couldn’t hire somebody to do the job. Strangely, it’s because she loves to paint.

I’ll admit that I’ve felt a little guilty leaving her with a rolling brush and a couple of gallons while I find something more interesting to do - which is pretty much anything. Still, last weekend I offered to join the painting party and speed up progress in the largest and most challenging room, she accepted my offer, and off we went.

If I haven’t made it clear, I don’t love painting. The only thing more painful for me is listening to a boring conversation I’ve heard a thousand times before. Still, brush in hand, I began my journey that day while sharing my philosophy with my wife.

That’s what she gets for locking herself in a room with me and a paintbrush.

While it played out over a couple of hours, here’s what I said —

I’m okay with painting. I am. In fact, I see every situation in life, like painting a huge and complex room. You know, a room with lots of windows, corners, and trim. One that requires physical contortions to reach every inch that you would never do in real life. If you want to get the job done. Heck, if you want to get anything done, you keep painting.

Keep painting. Keep painting. Keep painting.

As long as you keep painting, you’ll eventually be finished and get what you want. If you stop, not only is your room going to be a mess, you don’t get what you want.

So, whatever you are painting in your life, keep rolling until it’s done. No grind. No hustle and no glamour or drama. Just painting.

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