Gary had a problem — he was a hoarder.
Gary was a US letter carrier who was caught in the act of stashing 1500 pieces of mail behind a dumpster. When confronted, he had all kinds of excuses for his actions. “I have health challenges that keep me from getting the mail delivered. Management puts excessive demands on me and I can’t get all the mail delivered by the 5 p.m. deadline.”

Gary told the authorities that he fully intended to retrieve the stash later, but later never came. Upon further digging, the Postal Service found two dump truck loads of unsalvageable mail in his shed going back several years. Gary plead guilty of unlawfully destroying, detaining and delaying US mail which comes with a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.*

What’s the Bag of Mail You and I Have Been Given to Deliver Today

Like Gary, each of us has been given a bag of mail to deliver each day. The bag comes in different size and shapes depending on who we are and where we are at in life.

What’s in our bag of mail? A few examples are: time, experience, help, words, money, presence, wisdom, expertise, empathy, a hug, gratitude, valuable feedback.

The challenge is to keep the excuses from getting in the way of delivering our mail to those who are waiting for what we have to give. Yes, we may have challenges: health issues, demands, emotional turmoil, responsibilities, a busy schedule, grief, the feeling of being overwhelmed. The key is to do what we can with what’s in our bag and not hoard what we have for later.

Four Attitudes and Actions to Help Get Your Mail Delivered

1. Admit you have a problem to someone — if you find yourself stuck

I’m so grateful for a few of the people in my life I can talk to when I feel like I’m hoarding what’s in my bag. Just the act of admitting how I’m feeling and talking it through can help me find both relief and new courage to take small actions to share what I have in my bag.

2. Adjust your expectations in light of your limitations

You can’t do everything but you can do something. Don’t focus on your limitations but learn to accept them, then focus on what you can do.

During one of the most difficult times in my life, after a life altering motorcycle accident, I was forced to sit in a recliner for 7000 hours to help facilitate my recovery. After feeling sorry for myself for a while, a light bulb came on and I realized I could do something productive while in my chair. I learned to write and self-publish what I was learning and writing. I couldn’t walk for several months (my limitations) but I could still use my brain and fingers to write.

3. Adapt your mindset so you can finish your day’s delivery

Your mindset is a powerful engine to not just get you walking but keep you going when the going gets difficult.

Right now I carry around a note card with several affirmations of who I am. For example: “I am an empathetic listener. I am forgiven and forgiving. I am growing. I am becoming the best version of myself.”

These reminders keep me walking my mail route and delivering the mail I’ve been given to deliver.

4. Walk into the places where you can make a difference

Thought without action doesn’t get the mail delivered. It was Stephen Covey who said, “To know and not to do is really not to know.” I’m grateful for the people who are helping me keep walking and giving especially when my excuses get in the way.

I have a friend I meet with on Zoom every week. Besides friendship, we spur each other on to better understand what we have in our mail bag and encourage each other to get it delivered. This regular connection has been a life line while I’ve been grieving and when I’ve been celebrating new beginnings.

Question to Reflect On

What mail have you been asked to deliver?
What’s getting in the way of you getting that mail delivered?
What can you do today to keep walking the route you’ve been given to deliver your mail to?

*Source: Citizen-Times, Feb, 2017

Four Attitudes & Actions to Help Get Your Mail Delivered