Post Mud Slide Selfie
“Just do it. Whatever it is, do it. Stop dreading it, stop putting it off, stop feeding it through avoidance. Stop Negotiating With Yourself” Words I had to speak to myself this afternoon.
I ran a Spartan Race this morning , and there was an obstacle that consisted of a ~4foot muddy hill we had to climb leading to about the same depth of cold water. There were 3 climbs and the last pit of water had a blow-up obstacle we had to duck/swim under to get out of the water pit.
A man seated at the top of the 3rd hill spilled some doubtful words about having to go under this obstacle.
I get to the top, and I see what he’s talking about, I spew, “we gotta just do it! Let’s go!” And we slid down the mud and ducked under this obstacle and came out the other side, together! He thanked me, and we proceeded with our race.
Fast-forward to the afternoon, I’m gathering my thoughts, and organizing myself for the rest of the day and the upcoming week. I’m spilling everything that is in my head out onto paper so I can prioritize my task list for the afternoon and then the week. My boyfriend is listing off produce to purchase (grocery shopping is on the list) at the same time I’m getting everything out of my head and I immediately begin to feel overwhelmed.
Trying to keep up with his suggestions as he’s going through the fridge and pantry on top of emptying my thoughts just did me in for about 30 seconds. It was like I couldn’t write fast enough and the things just kept coming. Mind you, I asked him for grocery suggestions! HAHA (you’ll see what’s so funny later)
As the doubt began to creep in, he noticed my energy shift and questioned it. To which I respond, “I’m capable.” He said, “I know you’re capable baby but what’s wrong?” I said, “nothing I just have to do it.” He said, “Do what?” I said, “Everything on this list so I can have a better week than last”.
So what did I do? What I do best; I just did it! Firstly, I had to gain clarity around “all the things” so, I got all of the overwhelming ‘tasks’ out of my head and onto paper.
They stir in my head but are far less daunting on paper.
I organized them in such a way to see what needs to get done today and then prioritized the rest for the remainder of the week.
I started with a very simple task, text ———— your schedule for the week. The task itself truly was easy, it was the story I had made up about the text (my limited availability which had me feeling behind the 8 ball on this commitment) I had to breakthrough. Turns out, it’s a bunch of bull shit, anyhow. They responded with the same authenticity I gave, DUH, of course they did.
I digress…starting with the simple task gave me the confidence to tackle a more complex task.
Can you guess what happened? The said complex task only took about 45 minutes to complete and I felt absolutely wonderful once I was done! This is now evidence for my future self to reference when I need to complete the same task this week. Procrastinating because we think it’s going to be hard, merely makes it harder to want to fulfill.
It’s funny, the things we make up: It’s as if we cause our own anxiety. I really feel that to be true for myself. That’s why my lists are SO vital. They help me see exactly what is, not the story I’ve made up in my head about the tasks at hand.
Anyway, I say all this to say: if I can slide down a pile of mud and swim under an obstacle (in 40-degree water), then I can certainly check some shit off my “to-do” list. And so can you! I am grateful for the transcendence of my physical abilities, it keeps me grounded!
What is the smallest, most simple task you can start your day off with?! What is it that you are putting off? Honestly, ask yourself why? See what comes up.
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