We all have “To Do” lists.  Some of us make written lists…that would be my husband.  I see them by his computer or on the kitchen counter before he goes hiking.  He carefully makes his list and he loves to cross off the items.  Yesterday, we were out grocery shopping for just a few items.  We had a total of 3 items on the list that I was holding and after picking up two of the items, he asked if I needed a pen to mark them off.  I said sure but I was really thinking, “Seriously, it’s 3 items; I can keep track of which items we have picked up!” I know he likes to mark things off though so I went along with it.

I make lists…kind of.  I make them but I don’t always follow them.  In fact, I often only do things I want to do on the list and then ignore the rest which pretty much makes the list non-effective.  That’s on the personal side of my life.

On the business side, my brother-in-law who is also my business coach, keeps me accountable and I track all kinds of business metrics which we then talk about during our weekly calls.  I fully admit that I get more done in business because of that accountability though the random part of me would rather halfheartedly pick and choose what I want to do.

My “Above the Line” blog title today is related to the list making in the sense that “above the line” things are the things that we actually DO in life.  The premise is that if we say we want to do something that it is important… then our actions are going to verify whether it actually is important to us.  If we don’t do it (whatever “it” is), then it is not really “above the line”.

I have been pondering this concept for some weeks now.  Going to the gym is actually one of my “not above the line” struggles even though I have been paying for a gym membership and have been annoying my hubbie by paying for something I don’t do.  I have considered how to get it “above the line” for weeks now.  Get up early and work out before work; I used to do that but I don’t get enough sleep as it is.  Go after work; that’s even worse, I’m too tired.  Middle of the night…nope.  Middle of the day…maybe.  Last weekend I packed a gym bag and told myself to find one day in the week to go and all I had to do was 15 minutes on the treadmill.  Push that “to do” above the line!  Lo and behold I did it.  I don’t want to admit how long it had been since I had last gone to the gym but at least I went.  Now of course, I need to repeat it until it becomes a habit.  As a business owner who is “out and about” constantly with clients, I really can flex my schedule to accommodate a short mid-day workout and just need to make it happen.

I have other things on my mental “to do” list in the “below the line” category and I do want to get them “above”.  Read my bible more.  Clean my kitchen floor more.  Send out a Christmas letter this year.

One other area of my life that I have dearly wanted to improve was my relationship with my younger daughter.  It was definitely “above the line” in terms of desire but didn’t know what to do about it.  Last weekend she and I did an “overnight” at a hotel with a waterpark and had fun.  Even better, while floating around the lazy river on inner-tube rings, we talked.  My daughter opened up about dreams and plans for the future more than she had done in years which gives me hope that we can forge a new relationship…an adult to adult friendship.

I’m keeping the desire to keep working on the relationship with my daughter above the line for the future.  The gym…well maybe. Time with my husband…definitely.  We are about to go to the grocery store again and I will let him cross off items to his heart’s content because…well…it’s one of those “above the line” things for him.