🚧 When following through doesn’t come easily

[0:46] Hi there. How are you? So it’s 4 p.m. on Wednesday. I should have published a podcast episode and sent a newsletter a few hours ago, and I’m writing them now instead, which means that you will get them one day later than expected. Why have I been dilly-dallying? I’m asking myself. Usually, I am kind of the queen of following through. I decide I’m going to do something and I just do it. But of course, following through isn’t always easy. And that’s actually been the subject of several conversations I’ve had recently. And it is also what most of my clients struggle with. in fact. They are amazing, brilliant human beings, so why do they get stuck? And why you and I get stuck too? Well, of course, there can be so many reasons. So why don’t we use my own example to identify a few? To start, let me share what’s happening to me. First, since my partner and I adopted that cute fluffy rescue dog one month ago, my routines are all over the place and I am freaking tired.

[2:10] Second, I have been working on repositioning my work and my offerings and I can’t seem to stop focusing on that.

[2:19] It feels exciting and novel, and it matters to me a lot, because as I’ve learned from Teresa Sullivan, positioning is about the presence you have in the hearts and minds of your people, and I want to make sure I am showing up in the most helpful, valuable way. Plus, I am curious about what I will uncover, and I am also eager to get it over with so I can start a new cycle in my business. Okay, so now let’s analyze those two main things happening to me. What do they tell us? So for starters, they remind us that it takes time to build routines. And even if they work well, when they fall through, it’s hard to get back to them, especially if they haven’t been in place for a long time. And also building new ones requires energy, which leads me to the second part of the first thing happening. I am freaking tired. And when we are tired, of course, we need to save energy. We revert back to the path of least resistance. And my writing routine isn’t part of that yet. It hadn’t had enough time to become second nature. Then novelty, meaning, and the need for completion are driving my focus away from everything else.

[3:46] It’s very hard to compete with this kind of quote-unquote hyperfocus It makes switching tasks and contexts complex, And everything is made even more challenging by the fact that I am tired.

[4:02] So to recap, in my situation, it’s about capacity, systems, and how my mind works. But of course, those are just a handful of reasons why following through can sometimes feel impossible, even when we care about the work we want to build, the ideas we want to turn into reality, or the conversations we want to have. It can be about fear, it can be about confusion, or utter depletion, or many other factors. And that’s exactly why I do not believe in cookie cutter solutions. You know, the ultimate hacks, formulas, or blueprints really, truly, incredibly irk me. Because there is no single way of doing things that works for everybody. What works instead is identifying your specific reason for not following through and finding a way to work with it. Maybe even embracing it rather than fighting against it. And a pinch of self-compassion never hurts. No one will die if we’re missing a deadline above all a self-imposed one. But also, you will need to reconnect with the meaning, the why behind the thing that you want to follow through on. And then you have to find your way to

[5:21] Actually do the thing, if that’s what you want, of course. So, this episode matters to me a lot. It is my way to nurture our connection, offer you a space to reflect and spark action, and offer myself a space to build my body of work. So, here I am, creating it, even though I just missed the deadline. I picked up my laptop, sat in bed where I tend to feel safer and allowed myself to start with just a few words. You know, I told myself, okay, if I can’t keep going, if what I’m writing won’t make sense, I’ll just stop. But I kept going because starting without pressuring myself is what usually helps me break through. So as you can see, this is my awareness, my why, my way to get unstuck and my self-compassion at work. And I know it can sound like a formula, right? But until you make it actually yours, it won’t work its magic. So what’s your relationship with following through? Is it hard for you or does it come easily? What prevents you from following through and what helps you instead?

[6:40] Are your actions always rooted in your why or do you sometimes just keep going out of habit, Take some time to ponder these questions and see if any good insights emerge. I would love to hear what comes up for you, so feel free to reach out or come join me at the October Compass Circle to talk about it. You know, the circle is a free Zoom gathering on Fridays around the new moon where we use an Oracle spread to help you clarify what you want to create in the new cycle of your work, what can help you take action, and what your next step is. And then we share in the circle to get even more insights and inspiration. So the next one is on October 9th at 11 a.m. Central Time, and you will find the link show notes, and I really hope to see you there. Well, thank you so much for spending some time with me today. I will see you in the next episode.