Doing That Thing

Have you ever noticed that it's easier to volunteer to Do Something than it is to quit Doing That Thing down the road?

I'm sort of in that position now. I volunteered a few years ago to Do Something at church. Then it somehow morphed into me being in charge of That Thing, and training others to Do That Thing. Then I became responsible for scheduling all the people who Do That Thing. All because I was willing to simply Do That Thing in the first place.

The problem is that people have left, and the number of people we have who Do That Thing is shrinking. We're going to lose another person who Does That Thing in a few months. At that point, there will only be a few of us who Do That Thing. And if I don't get some help Doing That Thing in the next few months, I think I'm outta there too.

It's unfortunate because I really liked Doing That Thing in the beginning, but over time, it turned into a job. People started having expectations. And once it became The Larry Show in people's minds (as I have no doubt that it has), fewer people even thought about helping to Do That Thing.

Maybe I'm just rationalizing, but I think if I don't Do That Thing anymore, it will ultimately benefit everyone. People will stop assuming that I will Do That Thing, and others may pitch in and learn how to Do That Thing too. If more people learn how to Do That Thing, it will no longer be something that Larry Does, and will be something that Everybody Helps With. And that is a Good Thing Indeed.