Where Is Your Focus?
Do you often feel snowed under? Does it seem impossible to get things done? Do you leave a task unfinished and begin another one before finishing up the other stuff? Are there so many things you want to do yet you have no idea how to manage to acomplish them so you don't even start doing them? Then maybe it's time to slow down and focus on one thing at a time.
Slow But Steady
It sounds like a cliche but "slow but steady" seems to be a wise choice. Trying to accelerate the final result won't always take you closer to your goal. Likewise, trying to gather too many tasks won't always help you to be done with them at once so you can skip worrying about them. On the contrary, it can slow down the process and on top of that it can let you down and make you feel miserable and totally unmotivated. And that's when you give up. That's when you start complaining "Ah, I'm never going to finish this", "I simply don't have the time anymore" or "I have no time for myself, I've got so much to do" and so on.
Breathe?
This has always been an issue for me. I wanted to do this, I wanted to do that, I HAD TO do this, I HAD TO do that... okey...but when am I supposed to LIVE?! And I have heard it so many times: c'mon, slow down, you are doing way too many things at the same time, do you actually breathe sometimes? And I knew they were right. Yet I wanted to get things done so badly. And I kept bumping into new things and adventures, new schools, courses, places to go to all the time... I didn't want to miss a thing! And of course there were the things I wasn't keen on doing but there are always things you can't avoid, like paying bills, talking to authorities etc. How was I supposed to bring it off? I was so afraid to not be ready, to run out of time... and how did I usually end up? Not being ready and running out of time.
Less Is More
If you are not trying to impress yourself or other people by showing how many different things you can do at the same time, you are honestly doing a favor for yourself. And yes, you CAN accomplish everything - you just have to be willing to complete your task. The past 5 months of this year have been running like a maniac, kind of passing by me. I have wanted to do so much this year:
- Find a new and fulfilling job
- Get better emotionally, learn more about self-development
- Launch this website and run it
- Move to Stockholm, find a new apartment
- Do the interpreter training and pass the exams with flying colors
- Look for other trainings, schools, courses in Stockholm, preferably in turism
- Get a dirving licence
- Go to my favorite festival
- Earn money online
- Practice my English
- Re-learn French
- Improve my computer skills (MS Word and Excel, PhotoShop, webdesign)
- Read the books I haven't had time to read
- Find new friends and keep in touch with the old ones
- Discover new places and travel
- Start working out
...and so on.
Now.. You see it's a LOT.
No way I would be able to do each and every one of them at the same time, producing excellent results. And I have got stuck of course. 75% of those in the list I haven't even got started with. I'm not saying it's impossible I'm rather saying I can't see how it would be possible. It took a while to realize and accept it, but now I'm doing fine.
I quit my job 3 weeks ago. Of course I continued looking for a new one immediately after quitting, but it just didn't give me results, and why? Because deep inside I am not looking for any kind of job, I am actually looking for THE job. And it took a while to find my way back to my passion, my dream, and understand what I really want to do and earn money by doing it. So I'll wait with that one until I have a perfect picture of the perfect job for me. And then go for it.
Another thing: driving licence. It is a number one priority for a very simple reason: it is easier to pass the tests in a small town like this where I currently live. So I have decided to get the licence before I move to Stockholm.
Only looking for a new apartment takes forever and it also depletes me of energy and time. Then contacting the owners, travelling all the way to Stockholm checking out the apartments, calculating and so on takes up all my time. I cannot even think of doing anything else right now - I am feeling much better and much more focused now when doing only one (or two) thing(s) at a time instead of a hundred.
Dare to Be the Opposite
So I have determined to be without a job for the moment. And I am doing fine. I am not starving. I can still pay my bills. I can still enjoy life. I can still save money. And it feels right because I am not at all worried about not finding the perfect job for me. It is waiting for me and will be there for me when I need it. I simply ignore people nagging me and saying "Oh have you found a new job? What, you are not even looking?!" I rather be safe than sorry. I don't want to end up in a shitty situation again. I want the right thing and sometimes it takes time to get there.
Stay calm and focused and then you can be sure that you are on the right path towards your goal.
Written by Andi May 04, 2010
*Photo by Richard Dudley
blog comments powered by Disqus