Things To Think About, Monday, October 22nd, 2018

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Things To Think About, Monday, October 22nd, 2018

When I start getting real

Happy Monday or whatever Monday you choose.

It’s finally happening!  Everything is coming together. You are being disciplined and starting to get those ideas out of your head and into the world. So many things are happening at the same time. It is a beautiful feeling when you are finally getting things done. I always feel a phenomenal rush of energy. This is when I also have to use a bit of caution because when I feel unstoppable, is when I take on too many things. Do you have that same challenge? How do you handle it? I ask myself does what I plan on doing take me closer to or further away from my goal? I know I am getting better at taking strategic action when things are aligned.  What if it is not coming together?  My own experience is a mix of success and setbacks, but a ton of stuff in the pipeline. What then?

But, and there is always a but – there is a danger of locking myself up in my fortress of invulnerability. Sometimes I do the equivalent of sticking my fingers in my ears and saying neener neener neener, reality is a wiener. When all the pieces are coming together, I tend to keep the big picture in my head and isolate myself. Or when all the parts are coming together, and I am not prepared for things to happen, I bury my head in the sand and do my best fiddle dee dee. I think I am being focused, but sometimes being antisocial is not healthy. We have to keep getting things done in balance with building and maintaining connections. Let’s face it; being human is not terribly efficient. There are times where we feel the need to make sacrifices and delay our goals to help a friend or colleague. However, there is also a time when we need to make sacrifices of our own pleasure and get things done. That binge-watching marathon can wait.  Do your actions align with your values?  There are also times to make sure that we are not working really hard on the wrong things.

When you work smart instead of working hard, you have time to enjoy your accomplishments. All work and no play makes me cranky. Are you enthused and excited about what you are doing? Do you feel like a kid in a candy store when you are working on your goals? I was headed into an office the other day, and everyone on the elevator looked as if they were facing execution. If everything is not coming together for you, perhaps you should consider taking a new direction or try a different strategy. Maybe you are overlooking some important aspect of the work because it is tedious and boring. That’s fine if you enjoy having to do things over and over again because you did not set yourself up for success. That next adventure sounds more intriguing than the work you need to do to get to the next level.

What’s next? Getting out of balance is easy. Are your feelings aligned with your behavior? Are you doing things because you want to do them or because you have to do them? The difference is astounding. I can only tell on myself. I get so caught up in the momentum that I bite off more than I can chew. It can be a vicious cycle. I lied. I did not wholly tell on myself. I bite off more than I can chew and add more plates to my mental buffet. I need to buckle down and eat some frogs. I am doing busy work instead of meaningful work. The to-do list in my head then gets in the way of the done list and all the other incredible projects I want to do get held up. It is time to plug some of the must-dos into my calendar. I have the help I need this week. Opportunity is meaningless unless you seize it. Are you in the same boat? Are you ready to really get things done? Let’s do this.

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