I think most of us would agree, it’s so easy to fall into a GRIND.
Why? Because we’ve either A) Been in one, or B) We’re In one now.
We humans frequently find ourselves just grinding away at life.
So, how does that happen? We fall into our routines, play our roles, do our jobs, take on our whatever’s. Then rinse and repeat all over again next week, then next month, and next year. If we’re not careful, we get stuck into a same ol’ same ol’ do-loop.
There’s too much to do. It feels like we’re always behind.
Everyone we know wears the familiar crazy-busy badge of honor like their set of circumstances are somehow different from ours. Like we’re supposed to feel guilty about their situation.
I’d like to share a simple method that will actually help if you give it an honest try. Way back in 2016 I stumbled across an article on LinkedIn that caught my interest. I saved it and came across it again this morning.
It’s called “Bucket Lists Are Great, But Your Day-to-Day Happiness Deserves a List Too” by Claire Diaz-Ortiz. Claire is a best-selling author and an original Twitter employees. The post is still out there, you can find it here.
No need to go there now, I’m going to share the Cliff’s Notes now on what she calls a “fill me up” list. Stick with me. I’ll admit it sounds a bit woo woo and touchy-feely…
Trust me, it can help snap you out of that GRIND.
Claire even admits out of the blocks that it was…
…one of those personal development exercises that seemed obvious and rather dull from the outset, but turned out to be rather brilliant and awesome when you dug into things.”
Okay, now for your assignment. Get a clean sheet of paper and a pencil or pen. (Sure, if you must, you may do this exercise on your device of choice… But, ANALOG is better. You’ll FEEL it more).
Got ‘em? Let’s go.
(C’mon guys… nobody has to see… nobody has to know. It’ll be our secret)
Now, go to a quiet spot where you can be alone for twenty or thirty minutes (longer is better). Ready?
Here goes… Make a list of everything you can think of that “fill you up.”
That’s it. Just keep going. Fill the page.
Don’t edit. Just keep going. You’ll go blank a few times because it’s been a while, probably a long while, since you’ve done many of the activities that will come to mind that belong on your list.
You should of course have the obvious big things… your spouse and your kids. Your dog, too. But the little things too… your mom’s peach pie, killer coffee, hikes in the woods. Don’t stop until you’ve filled-up the page. Go for both sides if you can. Try for at least hundred “fill me ups.”
The first two ah-ha’s you’ll get out of this exercise are…
- There are a whole bunch of good things that fill you up in life. And,
- There are way too many things on your list that you’re not doing or haven’t done in a while.
Therein lies the cause and the solution for the GRIND.
Doing the list should remind you of at least one lost favorite you’d really like to do again soon. Great. Go do it. If it needs scheduling, get it scheduled.
Your fill me up activities will start to build on themselves, getting you back to doing what matters most to you… and breaking you out of that GRIND.
Claire sums it up well—
The things that fill us up are the things we need to be doing as much as possible in order to keep our lives in a balance of working and playing and giving and taking and being us. Because without these things, we aren’t much of anything, really.”
Sounds a little harsh, but that’s the point, isn’t it?
Are you running on empty? Go get a “fill (me) up” and break free of the GRIND. Do it just for you.
Be Untucked.
What are some of your fill me ups? What did you rediscover?
One of mine is listening to music like I used to do. Mindfully. Intentionally. Sitting in a comfortable chair, putting on a disc, and just listening.
Take a sec, scroll down and share one of yours.
If you found this post helpful, think about sharing it with a friend.
Copyright © 2019 Jeff Meister – All Rights Reserved
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