An Opportunity to Reset

We’re one week+ into August, and personally, I absolutely feel the cost of this month’s firsts (or as Brene Brown calls them, FFT’s) as my daughter heads off to her first year of middle school and as Interleap launched a new program. 

And what I’m really feeling is the mental load and planning – the *new* things that haven’t even started yet, the inbox of invites, and the many amazing opportunities that I can’t wait to get to.

Anyone else relate?

It’s easy to get caught up in the cycle of overcommitting, overextending, and over-serving.

And while we chase that unicorn of being able to do it ALL, one truth remains: it’s not sustainable. We will crash and burn, even if we haven’t yet.

If you and I are really honest, we know this is true. And we know that to have more of a balanced life, we need to let go of things, delegate, and set boundaries.

It feels so cliché, right?

After a workshop once on this topic, an attendee sent this question to me:

“If we do all of these things – delegate and set boundaries – who is going to get the work done?”

I get this question…you probably do too.

BUT, is it the question we should be asking?

As a coach, I like to ask another one:

What will happen to you if you keep going like this?

Here’s a quick visualization that might help:

• Picture yourself with the actual balls in the air – holding them up with different fingers on each hand, and a foot in the air too.
• You are balancing on one foot, but losing balance (which btw, isn’t balance).
• You have two options – hop on that foot to manage until you can’t, or drop the balls.

Which one feels better to you?

The truth is you aren’t designed to keep all the balls in the air. But as long as you keep holding them there, everyone around you will let you.

Nothing will need to be rebuilt, shifted, or redistributed if “you’ve got it.”

Sometimes, it has to break. And honestly, it will eventually anyway.

Being ahead of this means that maybe the system will break…instead of you.

I think we can have a lot of fear around this part. We don’t want to be seen as someone who can’t do it all, or the person who failed. But, are we actually winning now? 

There’s a quote that says, “Never be afraid to let things fall apart, for it is an opportunity to rebuild them the way you wish they had been all along.” There’s that word – opportunity. It is yours for the taking.

August is like the SECOND START of the year. It is a chance to find a new rhythm, one that works better, or at least one that we have peace with.

What can you do differently? Where could you let something go, or better, let someone else have a GO at it?

One of our favorite tools at Interleap is the Eisenhower Matrix. We use this for our own to-do lists, and in our ENGAGE session last week, it was part of our discussion on productivity.

If you’re feeling brave, hit REPLY to this and tell me what you want to shift and I’ll send you some encouragement.