this blog originally appeared at thesagemama.com

I am a huge fan of "to do" lists. My lists keep me organized, on task, and able to make sense of a seemingly endless parade of tasks and chores to be completed.

So imagine my surprise when I came across the following idea in an article by Alan Cohen. 

Alan writes in an article called, "What to Ask For":

"How long is your "to do" list? The more things you think of that you have to do, the more things you find to do. Then you end up feeling tired and unfulfilled. Try replacing your "to do" list with a "to be"list."

Once I read Alan's idea, my whole concept of list-making shifted. I have been studying the law of attraction for several years now and I get, on some level, the idea that what we focus on is what we get. It just never occured to me to reconsider my to-do list.

Here's more of what Alan writes:

"Who do you want to be while you are doing? How do you want to feel? What inner experience would you like to enjoy behind your activities? You can get everything crossed off your "to do" list, but unless you have set your intention about who you want to be and how you want to feel, you will miss your true goal, which is happiness.

Set your intention for soul fulfillment and watch your life take off,
spiritually and materially."

Compare the two lists below.

What do I want to Get Done?

• Make dinner
• Finish laundry
• Go to karate
• Do math and music with children
• Walk the dogs

How do I Want to Be and Feel?

• Be kind
• Feel connected to the children
• Feel comfortable in my home
• Feel in the flow
• Feel healthy in my body
• Feel content and satisfied that my children are being nurtured

Which one feeds your soul? Which one has the potential to transform our daily chores into daily joys? To me, the answer is obvious. Thanks Alan for putting into words a brilliant idea.

Just think of us mothers all over the world making our "To Be" lists. We have the power to change the world, one list at a time.

"Be the change you want to see in the world."
~ Gandhi