Shhh... I won't tell anyone else, but you just failed

You don’t want to admit it.  To your clients and your boss and the stakeholders you report to, you are ALWAYS on your game.  You are ALWAYS in the flow. But if we were honest with ourselves and others, we’re not.

In trying to be always on, always available, always producing, we have created an unsustainable stress state in our minds and bodies. Midlife crisis? Bankruptcy? Heart attack?  

There is a fear underlying all of your activities that keep you pushing all day long:

Fear of failure
Fear of being ‘found out’
Fear of losing it all
Fear of never being able to recreate what you built
Fear of losing the ‘big’ client
Fear of dropping the ball
Fear of (fill in your truth)

​Let’s Go to the Beach 

Nature gives us many good examples to base our own behaviour.  The ocean waves ebb and flow on a daily basis (multiple times per day) and there are seasons of higher tides and even unique events when the water rises or lowers substantially.  

Can you imagine if the waves were only ever ‘coming in’?  There would be no ebb, no rest for the wave to gather strength and move forward.

The weather across the globe is expressed in seasons.  In some places four distinct seasons of dormancy, rebirth, growth and clearing/decay, while in others there are two a rainy (flow) and a dry (ebb).

Can you imagine if the dry season did not follow the wet?  There would be no sunshine. If winter did not preceed spring? There would be no rest to prepare for the explosion of growth.

So, what, I have a report due.

You are probably thinking I have gone a little hippie chick on you, I’ll take it :-)  But truthfully, you have bills to pay, budgets to meet, reports to produce, widgets to create and distribute and right now, how do you get it done?

Stop pushing and take a break.  When we are in a stress state having over-extended our flow state and moved into overwhelmed, then we no longer think clearly and creatively.  We no longer have space for new ideas, we no longer see all sides of the problem being solved. 

I recently read that people who have fewer than six hours of sleep in a night, are three times more likely to get into a car accident.  With less than six hours of sleep our bodies and minds do not fully reset and clear the ‘gunk’ from the previous day.

Acknowledge the ebb and flow. Not only do you experience this daily but weekly, monthly, seasonally and even across years.  Instead of fighting against it, allow yourself to see the ebb as a time to reset, gain resources, learn, rest, step outside of the box and gain strength to flow again.  Plan for and accept time in your day, week, etc to pause. 

One Momentum Program member, an accountant, recently said this, “My revenue is in target to match or be slightly better than last year, but I'm working less and less stressed!! I'm maintaining the same game plan today. Keep producing, take lots of breaks and something fun at the end of the day.”  You can hear that he is working hard and ‘pushing’ and then also taking breaks to reset and work with his natural rhythm.

Clear the clutter.  The physical act of removing the stuff from your space that is old, outdated, broken has a cleansing effect on your spirit and your brain.  The results are similar to clearing a clogged pipe. You will find as you complete the clearing process, ideas begin to flow, you mood will lift and your energy level will increase.  What can you let go of today to make space (mental and physical) for where you are going?
If you are stuck in the process, let me know. I would love to have a conversation with you about how to move forward.

Schedule a Time to Talk

Monthly Organizing Classes are available on the 3rd Thursday of the month via Zoom.  Register Here.