Underachieving is Underrated

Hey everyone, welcome to the fourth quarter.

We’re all scrambling now to hit those year end goals. I know I am. or was.

Maybe it’s because we lost 50 degrees of heat from two weeks ago to today. Or maybe it’s the fact that before today, I hadn’t seen the sky in four days because it did nothing but rain relentlessly. For four days. The cold to the bone kind of rain that makes it really hard to even want to get out of bed.

Or do anything at all.

I woke up Monday exhausted by the thought of my goals. I felt sick and tired of hurrying so I could tackle my list only to end my day with several of my items not yet crossed off, moving them to tomorrow’s list which is, once again, unattainable. Repeat routine.

I know I’m not alone. Just yesterday, a client sent me her goal list so we could prioritize for the rest of the year. They are audacious (as they should be!). Also yesterday, completely unrelated, yet coincidental, a friend Skype chatted me about his own gnarly plans for the future. Normally, I get inspired by that. Instead, I felt more tired.

This is isn’t the new permanent me. Six months ago, I would have been panicking that’s the case. I’ve gotten to know myself well this year. I know about phases now! And I don’t see them as new permanent states. I just need a break; a slow down.

In fitness, the rest periods are just as important as the training. The same goes for the pursuit of our big goals.

So here’s what I did when I woke up Monday:

I rolled over back under the covers. It all can wait another half hour. Kate Finley posted the SAME thing that day. She said something like, “I slept in. No one died and nothing blew up.”

I made my to-do list smaller. Making it smaller just made it manageable. When I got to the end of the day, all my items were crossed off. I even crossed off the LAST item before I threw the piece of paper in the trash. That is correct. I wouldn’t throw it out until I found a nearby pen and crossed the last item off. Then I threw it away.

I ended the day feeling accomplished.

Pushing that bike up the hill requires a ton of perseverance but it’s OK to set it down in the tall grass and take a drink of water, or a tall glass of vodka, whichever you prefer. No one will die, nothing will blow up. and a cool thing happens. If you bike, you know that momentum is your friend. My phone rang and that piece of new business I want to land was pushed forward significantly. Maybe you’ll get that creative breakthrough you’ve been working so hard to find. Things still happen when you underachieve for a time.

It’s Fall. I’m beginning to think the bears have this thing figured out. It’s time to give the brain some needed rest and enjoy some momentum. What will you do to underachieve this month?

Photo Credit: Rob Warde via Compfight cc

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