I have this great “problem” of being incredibly intense and focused on whatever it is I’m doing. I say “problem” because, while it makes me incredibly efficient and allows me to go knee deep in whatever I’m working on or doing, it also means I run the risk of burning out or overdoing it.
I had caffeine for the first time in a week today and I swear I felt like I could take on ANYTHING. It reminded me why I started drinking caffeine in the first place – the level of energy was incredible. I went to the gym to try to burn some of it off and after an hour and 45 minutes I was still full of energy. It’s in these moments I have to remind myself something important – save some energy for tomorrow.
I have to do this with myself in order to create sustainable habits whether that’s around work, working out, eating, writing, reading, etc. One of my awesome coworkers sent me this podcast recently. In it, the speakers talk about how to basically become a sustainable and resilient catalyst for social change. This is SO important. I forget it too often. I want to complete everything today because I’m so exhausted from seeing people put things off to tomorrow. I live in a sense of sustained urgency! Like I said earlier, this is a “problem” depending on how I let myself live. I could choose to live in a constant state of doing or I could take these moments to save some of my energy and thought for tomorrow.
The benefit of this “saving for tomorrow” philosophy is that it lets me still throw myself wholeheartedly into today’s work. I just make sure to leave room for me to tackle it and think about it more tomorrow. The beauty of this is that it makes me SO excited for tomorrow to come. I make lists, write drafts, jot down quick notes, etc. My brain continues buzzing away as the ideas marinate and I store my excitement for tomorrow. The flame inside me becomes one that naturally keeps going and is self sustained rather than one that burns bright only to fade quickly. I’m never finished. I’m always right in the midst of it all.
So I put the weight back on the rack. I wiped away the sweat. I called it a day knowing deep within me I was ready to come back to the gym to do it all again tomorrow.
agm 