A hall pass is valuable in high school.
Not so much in real life.
In real life, you can end up punished. Spanked even.
Exercise, diet, meditation… writing, making art, building a new career… the things we say we want to do… the things we say that we commit to doing… often go off the rails when life gets in the way.
And then we give ourselves a pass.
Which is ok.
Except… life always gets in the way. There are always things that come up.
And… actually… life doesn’t get in the way.
Life is the way.
So “passes” tend to backfire…
When you’re in the habit of giving yourself a pass, you never really get the momentum you want (and deserve) in those things that matter most to you. And when you finally do get back to those things, you suffer needlessly.
Better to dial in your core practices and disciplines as non-negotiables… things you do no matter what. Better to create your life around those things that matter most, rather than looking for loopholes.
Because it’s the slow, steady, consistent steps over time that lead to that life you dream of.
Dearest Walt:
It’s been many years since you spoke at Hartford Seminary. I want to thank you for the words of wisdom, promise and reality. Susan is right in the thick of the desert of transformation. If only it were 40 days. Thank you for the comments on the “hall pass.” Never liked them much myself, but always used my charm and charisma to speak kindly and honestly to the hall monitors. They liked me and trusted me because I was rarely the bad kid. Truth does tend to win hearts, minds and souls. If only were were surrounded by such a moral ethic… That said, I may be the only one someone reads as truthful. That’s got to be good enough for me.
I love you guys.
You crack me up.
Great message.
No more passes!
Love,
Tom
Uncanny? This was my message this week too….. with one major exception…. I didn’t mention the “non-negotiables”. You are absolutely on point reminding us/me that too many hall passes don’t serve our goals. Confession here – I’ve given myself too many the last two weeks – granddaughter visiting, out-of-town family reunion. It’s so easy to let the non-negotiables fall into another category.