Sooner or later we all come to the realization that we’re human. And there’s only so much that’s humanly possible.
And when we’re stretched to the breaking point and need a break, the worst thing to do is to take one without a plan to restart the fire afterwards. All our momentum is gone. And it takes a lot of work to start from the bottom of the hill and get rolling back up it again.
No worries. All we need is …
A Firestarting Kit
And it’s got everything you need to find balance and get going again.
- A windbreak. If you try and jump right back into the hurricane, you’re gonna jump right back out again. So even though there’s a whole mess of things that are coming at you that need to be done, they’re not getting done right now. You might as well put a plan together before you start doing them.
- Tinder. Step one of the plan is to declutter. We’re surrounded by a hundred little nagging things that demand our time and energy. It’s good tinder so we’ll use them to start the fire. Start by taking care of all the little things that have been piling up that aren’t important … but are. Wash the dog, pay the bills, fix the garage door. Take a little stroll around your world and jot down every little thing that needs to get done. And then get it done.
- Spark. Step two is defining your goals and your passions. Some of the things you WERE doing are important to you. Some of them aren’t. What’s important? And even more importantly, which of your goals are you really passionate about? These are the things you want to do so much so that you need to do them.
- Timber. This is the big stuff. It’s a mix of things you really want to do, and things you have no choice but to do. The stuff you really want to do is easy. It burns hot and makes a great fire. The stuff you have to do is like wet timber. It’s tedious. It’s work. It sucks. But as long as you’ve got plenty of good burning timber in your pile, you can handle the wet stuff pretty easily.
Now where’d I put the matches?
Shane:
This is one hit me right between the eyes. I’m at the same place right now and sorting things out. The sorting process requires peace and quiet. I’ve found that. What I have not done is use some of the time to seriously plan. And you’ve filled in that missing piece for me.
The de-cluttering part–of both physical “stuff” and mental stuff–is really important.
What’s fascinating to me is that I do this all the time with clients.
It’s a real pain when it’s “your” turn!
Thanks for the wisdom and encouragement.
Hey Steve,
Nice to have someone else in the same boat – grab an oar! haha
It’s easy to let the clutter creep up on you when you’re focusing on the big goals. And then all of a sudden there’s so much clutter, it’s hard to see past it TO the big goals.
It’s a great experience from a learning point of view because it gives us the chance to form real tools that really help others … ’cause we’ve been to the clutter boat and back.