Are you a “pushaholic”?
/
Last week I shared about how my body forced me to slow down. In the article I urged you to chose to slow down and create more space for yourself.
I received many emails from readers who related to my tale and thanked me for my suggestion. That got me thinking more about why we drive ourselves so hard, and about specific ways to make a shift.
We have a choice, each day, to decide how we will live that day.
But most of us operate on autopilot, failing to pause and consider how we want to live.
Does this sound familiar?
Most of us muscle through our long list of tasks — pushing ourselves to get a lot done (as we try to get everything done on to-do lists that seem to be endless).
It feels logical to simply buckle down and work hard. After all, how else will we get to (or through) all of it?
If you take the time to pause and think about it, you may realize that that approach is far from ideal.
What happens when we push ourselves
When we push ourselves relentlessly we wear ourselves down and feel exhausted. We often feel resentful, or hopeless.
That makes it hard to feel energized, even about doing things that we like and want to do.
The stress of overwork leads many of us to burnout — feeling overwhelmed, drained, and unable to ever get caught up, much less ahead. Both our psyches and our bodies often pay a price — like mine did recently. We can suffer from headaches, intestinal issues, poor sleep, and more.
Consider this alternative
Instead of pushing so hard, what if you were open to allowing yourself to slow down a bit and welcome flow.
By that, I mean connecting to the reason that the things on your list matter to you, and then focusing on what is right for you.
Ask yourself: “Why are each of these things on my to-do list.” And, “Why am I doing them?”
Next ask: “What is on my list that is not aligned with what matters to me?”
Certainly, we all have some things to do that do not excite us. (I have to renew my driver’s license soon, and have forms to complete, and household tasks to get taken care of.) But when I think about why those things matter to me, I am able to approach them with more ease and enthusiasm. For instance, I want to drive with a current license that will also alow me to get through security at an airport for upcoming travels.
Even things you don’t like doing, there are some things that simply must get done (like paying your taxes on time). These can often be reframed in a way that makes them feel less heavy.
By focusing on the items and actions that excite me (as well as any “must-do’s that will keep me out of trouble), I can more easily decide to delegate some tasks to others. And I can choose not to do things that ended up on my list because I quickly said yes without realizing the “yes” was for the wrong reason.
(Things that we come to realize ought to be “no’s” typically show up because we feel obligated, do not set clear boundaries, or we are trying to please others more than make decisions that align with our desires and priorities.)
Take some time to decide what you can delegate and what you can drop.
The energy of flow is easier to access when your choices are clear and have meaning for you.
The last pieces of the puzzle
When you have “cleaned up your list” and connected to more positive energy, you can also reorder what is left. Take care of things in a sequence that serves you best.
And be sure to remember how much you can trust yourself to move forward with clarity and focus, even if it takes a little while to get the hang of this new way of living.
I invite you to also trust that the universe will support you, as you stay aligned with actions that are meaningful to you and that you approach with positivity.
I predict that, with practice, you will experience what I call the “flow energy” of operating this way. I have been making this shift and loving the results.
Why not give this approach a go today? Then, hit reply to let me know how it works for you.
Stay safe and well, and keep creating.
