Getting Into Action - Ready, Set, Go
Build it and they will come. Feeling overwhelmed, and asking myself am I even making any progress? So many things spin through my mind as I find myself in the kitchen with my arm elbow deep in a bag of kettle cooked banana chips. Can you relate?
I have always turned to food to soothe my anxiety. It is a bad habit and one that I am fully aware of and it still causes me guilt when I wander to the kitchen for some easy self-soothing. The culprit is anxiety and feeling overwhelmed by a task that is probably not that hard if I gave myself some grace and breathing room.
Here is the thing you aren’t perfect and I am not perfect. The pressure you feel when things seem overwhelming is your desire to get it right the first time, this expectation that you need to be perfect in order to show up is a fallacy. You cage yourself inside a box of must-dos and it feels stifling. Instead of focusing on what feels good or what makes sense you live within the confines of what you think your progress should look like. Yet, you have no idea what it should look like because your process and progress is unique to you and only until you begin your journey will you see how it unfolds.
I breakdown the process of growth and action into four stages:
No Action,
Passive Action,
Messy Action &
Directed Action
Each stage has a place in your personal growth and one isn’t better than another although some are more pleasant than others. Each is different but required and a normal part of the growth process.
No Action
Watching the world go by, feeling stuck, unmotivated, anxious and possibly worried. You feel a tightness in your chest and find ways to numb out with food (hello, banana chips), alcohol, over exercising or your personal vice of choice. I bet you have been stuck here and that is okay, trust that you don’t have to stay in this space. You aren’t meant to stay in this space. If you are stuck here I recommend working on your mindset and with affirmations.
Passive Action
Feeling overwhelmed by the inordinate amount of things that you need to do. You have scattered lists and stacks of books, papers and notes. You have trouble keeping on task or staying focused. You think you are working but the end goal is fuzzy so it feels like little to nothing gets accomplished. This is a good time to take a break. You need to walk away from the chaos and get clear on your end goal. Find accountability and motivation with the Midlife Reset Membership.
Messy Action
Freedom to explore. You have a lot to do, but you have released the expectations and stopped comparing yourself to others. You enjoy life more, you play while still getting things done. You understand that to feel fulfilled it can’t be structured all the time. You accept mistakes and lessons and learn from them. You experience personal growth in this space. This is a fun space to fill and is like finger painting as a child. No rules, just pure joy and abandonment while still creating and moving forward.
Directed Action
Getting stuff done. This is reaching the finish line after giving yourself time for Messy Action. You get to celebrate your wins and fulfillment is at its peak. You can look back and see the road traveled may or may not have been conventional but it was the right path for you.
In life you will travel through these stages multiple times when you allow yourself the freedom to explore and the self-acceptance that not every moment in your process will be productive. When you recognize that no action is action that is when your perspectives shift and growth occurs. New challenges are opportunities for you to do more, explore more, experience more and be more.
Now is the time to get back to your big dreams, big ideas and beliefs about what you want in your life. More importantly it is time to take ACTION.
