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Hey there, it’s Dennis.
In today’s issue:
The pattern that quietly pulled me back into overload
The conversation that changed my direction
Why managing time isn’t the real problem
The strength it takes to stop walking alone
Who Walks With You?
There was a shift this week, a more committed move down my chosen path and frankly it was a shift that surprised me when it happened.
I was confident that I was fully moving forward and manifesting my dreams into reality. Yet, there was something missing, something which I had missed completely and which meant I still had one foot on the old path.
I had reached that all to familiar point of feeling completely buried under work and projects; my To Do list growing much faster than anything was being completed. It was an all to familiar pattern where I go from not believing I have enough to work on to all of sudden having far more to work on than makes sense.
Except it was not all of a sudden.
It had taken several weeks to build the To Do list back up to this point of overload. I knew I was stuck in a loop and I needed to find a way out of it and fast.
Knowing this, I contacted a friend and colleague to talk through what I was experiencing in hopes of finding a way to break out of the loop. My friend asked several challenging and thought provoking questions; essentially shining a mirror into areas of my pattern that were not visible to me.
“What are you doing with all of these projects?”
“Why did you start each one of them?”
“What will be the impact on your dream of completing each one?”
“What is preventing you from finishing them?”
After the conversation concluded, I took some time to reflect on what we had discussed.
There were two key points that resonated with me, the first is that I did not need to walk my path alone and the second is that many of the projects I was working on were not aligned with my chosen path.
With that clarity I felt more energized, more focused and I had a plan to break free of the loop and a way to prevent myself from falling back into it again in the future.
My Chosen Path
There are many tools and techniques available to manage your workload from Covey’s Four Quadrants, to Benefit & Effort Matrixs, and many, many more.
One of the reasons that there is such a vast number of tools and techniques available is because they are addressing the easy part of the challenge.
The part of managing our time that the Tiger wants us to focus on. Still, they can be useful and I encourage you to explore them and try them until you find one that works for you.
Then be prepared to change it up by switching to a different one. This keeps your brain and your Tiger having to readjust and it will keep you objective in apply the four questions I shared earlier with a focus on manifesting your dream into reality.
You Don’t Need to Walk Alone
This is the crux of this weeks newsletter and something that I need to continually remind myself of and a key point that I want you to truly embed in your daily life.
We are not alone and we do not need to walk our path alone.
Having someone or multiple someone’s which we can reach out to as a thought partner for guidance, support or to shine a mirror where we cannot see is a true sign of strength and conviction to manifesting your dream.
Nietzsche has a quote “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”
FOCUS on your WHY, on your PATH and on your DREAM.
Let it guide your actions and tasks.
When you’re stuck or feel like you are going in circles, reach out to your network and ask for help.
In Jim Lawless’s 10 Rules for Taming Tigers, Rule 5 is “The Tools for Taming Tigers are all around you” meaning that there are people who are willing to walk with you on your path, just as you are willing to walk with them.
As a coach, this is an area of focus for me, to be there to walk with you when you need me. To hold that mirror so you can see the full picture and celebrate your success.
Quote of The Week:
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” — Helen Keller
Have you ever noticed that voice that reverberates in your head the minute you consider a new experience or an action to make your dreams a reality? The one that seems to whisper “You’re not ready” or shouts “What if you fail?”
That is the Tiger that I refer to and the idea of creating the metaphor for the Tiger came from Jim Lawless in his book, Taming Tigers.
It’s fear and self-doubt dressed up as protection, convincing us to stay safe instead of stepping forward and growing. The Tiger is loud, convincing and relentless, but here’s the truth: it only has the power we give it.
Every time you step forward in spite of that roar, you weaken its grip and strengthen your own. That is what Tiger Letters are all about, sharing knowledge, experience, fears and inner strength to make your dreams a reality.
So, the next time your Tiger ROARS, smile at it, step forward reclaiming your power and break through the fear barrier into your growth zone.
Before you go, here is ONE way you can work with me.
Book your FREE Kickstart Call with me - 1:1 performance coaching to help you break through fear, self-doubt, and procrastination—so you can finally move forward with clarity, confidence, and courage.
Until next time!
The Tiger Is Inside You.