Bits of Life

I. Great Things Usually Start Small

It's a Sunday night. I'm living in a studio-type apartment. The time is around 11PM and I just woke up from sleeping around 9PM. One would expect me to be awake during the night time even on weekends because my "day job" is in the evenings.

Going into the bathroom, I saw little water stains on the mirror. Taking the sponge, soap, and water, I wiped the mirror clean. Then, I started cleaning the lavatory, then went on cleaning the bathroom walls, floor, shower, faucets, and the toilet. I went on with my little kitchen - I don't cook, but it's nice to have a little kitchen - and then I found myself cleaning the rest of this one-bedroom unit. It's not that I haven't cleaned for a while, it's just that I always make sure my apartment is sanitary and not just mere livable.

What started with an act to clean a little water stain on the mirror ended up cleaning the whole unit. Yes, this is one of my undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) mode on.

What do you know? It's Monday once again. The rest-days are over. Later is grind time once more. As I scroll over social media, most posts I see would be "Here comes Monday again" in a funk mood. I can't blame everyone. Their feelings are also valid. Rest is more important than work, but we can't be so choosy especially if you're in a third-world country.

No lies, I feel the same about Mondays. But do I linger on the thought that I'd rather continue resting than start a new work-week? No. This is when I appreciate my undiagnosed OCD. Once I start on something, I get hyped to do more. You might still be feeling restful and "don't want" to get up, but when you do, your body and mind would just follow. "An object in motion remains in motion unless acted upon by another force." You can actually be unstoppable.

Once I came across a video clip of someone delivering a speech. The speaker said (nonverbatim) "Start your day by making your bed and the rest of the day will be productive." I have always made this one of my mantras in life. And how do you make your bed while you are still on it? You have to get up.

Think of getting up as a simple chore as wiping that little water stain on the mirror. Then by Friday you're almost done with a productive week - just like having cleaned the whole apartment already without knowing it.

Same goes when we set goals to achieve our dreams. Setting goals is not the same as actually working for it. We are not getting there any further until we actually start doing something about it. You don't need a big leap. One step at a time gets you somewhere. Without you knowing it, you are already living the dream.