I almost didn’t send this.

Direction?
The Path of Too Much
leads straight to the murky Bog
of Never Enough.
(Well in the Lead chapter 4, p. 39)

Hi friend,

How are you? Juggling a lot, I suspect.

That's certainly the case for me. In fact, I considered not sending an email this week.

I'm still on the fence as to whether I made the right call.

I knew I was pressed for time, so when I sat down at my computer, my goal was to share a few resources I hoped were helpful and leave it at that. Instead, I've managed to spend over an hour going in circles, false start after false start, with nothing but frustration to show for it.

The more time I spend, the less clear I feel.

And because I suffer from the sunk cost fallacy, there's no way I'm giving up now. I can't possibly tolerate the idea that I'll have nothing to show for the time I've invested. I must come up with something of value to say.

So no pressure. It's shocking that I'm getting nowhere. (Sigh.)

If you're like me, you've been in this kind of loop more than once. It shares some features with the quick sand of perfectionism, but it's a bit different.

Rather than spending another hour trying to unpack it, I'm going to share a few observations that I'm hoping will help both of us the next time we're stuck in any kind of unproductive spiral.

First and foremost, let's remember that we can always step away. This strategy is so simple yet so effective. Just google <importance of taking regular breaks> if you need convincing. I've also found that it can be remarkably difficult to accomplish when we're deep into the bog, so it takes patience and practice.

Second, let's consider focusing on input goals rather than output goals. We have a lot more control over how we spend our time than we do over the outcome of that investment. Concentrating on the former may help us avoid frustration and disappointment, especially if we have a tendency to over-estimate what we can accomplish in a short window of time. (That doesn't sound like anyone I know.)

Finally, let's trust that we're in good company. It's easy to feel alone when we're struggling, yet our pain actually connects us to others. Tapping into our common humanity not only reduces feelings of isolation, but broadens our perspective.

Speaking of good company, if you're looking for an enriching way to interact with others, how about forming a Well in the Lead book group? Suzanne Dove and I hope this guide will make it easy. And don't forget about my co-author checklist, which is currently available only to my newsletter subscribers. You are welcome to share it with others. If you do, I hope you'll encourage them to subscribe.

I'm sending my warmest wishes to you and yours as we head into the winter holiday season. Once again, thanks for being here, and thanks for being you!

Take good care,
 
Elizabeth Odders-White