Have you ever gone through the cycle of feeling accomplished, feeling guilty for not doing other things on your list, feeling distracted by something new that came across your desk, and then feeling accomplished again? It’s overwhelming.
Here’s the thing: Last week, I felt terribly overwhelmed and guilty about not writing the blog by the deadline in my mind. A deadline that existed solely because I created it. And then I thought about it. I gave myself permission to not feel guilty about focusing on one area while other areas get shelved for a little bit. If for one week, other things get pushed aside, that’s ok. It’s ok to feel guilty about not doing something when you’re doing something else.
It’s where you go with those feelings that matters.
If I had spent the rest of my week beating myself up, worrying, and (quite frankly) shaming myself, I would have had a horrible week. Instead, I recognized what I was doing, and chose to give myself permission to focus on this one task, knowing that the other tasks would come back in when I got a little space for them. As a result, I am happy, excited, content, and no longer overwhelmed and worried.
It goes without saying that when we apply our attention to the task at hand, we live a more fulfilled life. When we split our attention between what we are doing, and what we think we SHOULD be doing—that’s when the discord happens, and we start to feel out of balance, guilty, overwhelmed and worried. So, it’s your choice. Just like it was my choice. The feelings are there—you don’t have to change them. It’s what you do with them that matters.
Thank you for your continued support of my work. If you’re interested in reading more of my writing, check out my new book here!