Grilled Cheese Perfection

I recently subscribed to a podcast through NPR called "This I Believe" - an "episode" is usually a 7 minute (including an intro and ads) segment that comes out weekly.

Seven minutes - sweet. I can pay attention for that long.

Here's how the program describes itself on the website:

This I Believe is an international organization engaging people in writing and sharing essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives. Over 125,000 of these essays, written by people from all walks of life, have been archived here on our website, heard on public radio, chronicled through our books, and featured in weekly podcasts. The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow.

One of the more recent episodes - I'm working backwards, as I only subscribed last week - caught my attention, as it was entitled "The Grilled Cheese Principle." What a funny name for an essay, I thought. However, the title clearly served its purpose, as I decided to listen to it this morning. It's an interesting piece about achieving excellence by giving 100% focus to everything, even those things that are the most routine or mundane.

Here's an excerpt that shows this point: "So, I have learned that even the most tedious and simple task deserves my full attention. When I am multitasking, I am doing none of the tasks well. And when I allow myself to be distracted, I am not in the present moment—not paying attention to the small details of living or enjoying the process."

It actually reminded me of something my dad called me out on way back when I lived in Arizona. (You can ask him - I emailed him this very podcast upon listening because it reminded me of what he explained to me.) I was on the phone with him but also on email or doing something else, and he knew right away I wasn't giving my 100% attention.

I'm really glad he called me out that day because that serves as a constant reminder, my "grilled cheese moment," if you will. Multitasking just doesn't work. Give it all or don't bother. This is something I consistently work on and remind myself of daily. But the payoff of being in the moment and 100% into something is well worth it.