THE URGENCY OF DOING

Life is too short. But the fear of passing time may give us an urgency about making things right. Such a feeling of urgency may create the conditions for changing the quality of our character and behavior. We don’t have forever to redeem the losses from our personal history. We must make amends with those we have offended, heal our relationships with those we care about, and move on. This is what fully functioning people do. They don’t wait, they don’t procrastinate, but rather they act. It was Roberto Assagioli, the great Italian physician and psychiatrist who wrote the book, The Act of the Will. The entire book is based on the assumption that people can learn to mobilize, to act. Assagioli actually teaches people how to act rather than react to life.

When I worked in educational systems as a guidance counselor, I would invariably meet with a child who would respond to a request that I have made by saying, “I’ll try to do that!" To demonstrate to the student the impact of trying, I would say to him, “Try to get up out of the chair you are sitting in." The child would look at me dumbfounded, and I can assure you in thirty years of working with children no one ever stood up following my request. Next I would say, “Get up out of that chair!" No problem, every student would stand up immediately. Trying is another word for excuse making. People don’t try to change, they commit themselves to doing it. It is only when one gives up the illusion of trying and makes a serious effort to alter one’s behavior that real change emerges.


James P. Krehbiel is an author, contributing writer, and cognitive-behavioral therapist. He has released a book entitled Stepping Out of the Bubble: Reflections on the Pilgrimage of Counseling Therapy. Copies are available at http://www.booklocker.com/books/2242.html. James can be reached through his website at www.krehbielcounseling.com.