Ought To Enjoy It

I read somewhere recently that the two biggest words that can quickly kill any worthwhile project are “ought to” — as in I ought to blog more.

The author of the piece pointed out that projects, whatever they may be, succeed more often when people “want to” instead of “ought to.”

In a nutshell, the author’s point was that people should enjoy what they are doing — or maybe it’s not worth doing at all.



Recently, at Gresham Manor, I’ve begun a few new projects that are aimed at improving my life. Nothing drastic and, to be perfectly honest, nothing that initially I found to be that enjoyable. In fact, I approached both projects with quite a sense of dread.

Both projects focused on my health.

I’ve started the Couch To 5K program with wistful hopes of battling my bulging waistline and I’ve dived into the Dave Ramsey “Total Money Makeover” with a keen eye on my finances.

Neither is an easy task. Both, however, are things I “ought to” do.

As I started down both these paths, I readily admit I wasn’t enjoying either experience. With time and a little dedication, both efforts began to grow on me.

Now, I find I am actually enjoying the challenge. I actually crave my run days, pushing myself to do better each time out. And, while I do miss some of the things I sacrificed for my money makeover (oh satellite TV how I mourn thee), seeing our debt be whittled away while our savings grow is an extremely rewarding experience.

I guess it just goes to show that we don’t always know what we’ll find enjoyable until we give it a try. Sometimes those things we know we “ought to” do are actually fun once we get over the fear of getting the ball rolling.

• Former Tribune sports editor Cliff Gibson has revived his blog, The Full Count. Give it a look here.

• I have an interview this week with a couple of Terrell educators who are about to embark on an amazing journey. I'm looking forward to talking to them because I think they have a great story to be told.

• Today's pick-me-up song.