The Hidden Gift of Tedious Tasks

Last week, I found myself in fluorescent purgatory.

It was just the Social Security office trying to replace my son’s card, but IS there really a difference...?

The card I’m trying to replace is NOT one I earned through a mountain of paperwork. No, no. This was the original card they just send you after you give birth. You know, during that time when you’re busy keeping a human alive and crying over nipple cream.

It’s no wonder I lost it.

And sitting there, filling out forms and waiting my turn, I realized something: this is exactly why people who win the lottery often lose it all.

Because the process is the point.

If you skip the part where you become the person who manages wealth (or, in my case, a tiny rectangle of government-issued paper), you’re not equipped to keep it.

Our grandparents knew this. They grew up with less, worked for everything, and ended up with more money than all of us and an unshakable instinct to save every Cool Whip container just in case.

They became.

So if something in your life feels hard right now, or especially tedious, or comes with bad lighting and a line out the door - that’s a great sign.

It means you’re doing the work.

It means you’re building the identity that will keep whatever reward you reap.

It means you’re becoming.

And this social security card is now my most prized possession.

Xo, The Salesgirls