Ta-Da List!
What happens when we let go of plans, expectations, and the long to-do lists.
I’ve kind of treated the last couple of years since I left Google like a Ta-Da List, and it’s been amazing. I think this approach scares the crap out of most people, but I think it’s a pretty natural way of operating, it just takes unlearning a lot of things that seem to have become the standard way of operating.
For me, this is not at all about being ‘direction-less,’ in fact it’s about getting pretty specific about some ‘big-picture’ stuff, but then giving myself some freedom to see how it might manifest. The opportunities are abundant with this approach.
I love this quote:
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path.” — Steve Jobs
That’s kind of the thinking behind a Ta-Da List! These are the surprises, the things you didn’t expect, the things that just seem to come together and happen. They are the aha moments, the serendipity, the wisdom from unexpected places…
Of course, the reality is that just about everything in life belongs on the Ta-Da List! We can make as many plans and to-do lists as we want, but in the end nothing goes exactly as planned, and we need to learn to embrace this, rather than fight it, or get upset when things don’t go just as we expected.
“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” — Bruce Lee
There is a ton of power in creating lists filled with plans, to-dos, and goals; I do this all the time. What I’m talking about isn’t about doing one or the other, it’s just about being a bit more flexible and open to what may happen, rather than what has to happen.
Really specific expectations can be tough, if you get set on a super-specific outcome you may find yourself frequently disappointed; there are just too many variables in life to predict the exact outcome or the future. So, maybe start highlighting some of the great things that happened a bit unexpectedly on a Ta-Da List! Or if you are a fan of Swissmiss’ TeuxDeux app (like I am), you can call it your TauxDaux list… or something like that :)
