I am a strengths coach and one of the things I teach and preach is action.
Action said Picasso is the only antidote to fear.
Now you might think to yourself, well I take a lot of action but I still don’t feel good and strong and nice and warm and fuzzy inside.
That can happen.
We all have days filled with nonstop work and nonstop action.
But there are two types of action
I want to use visual aids for this.
- One is like a hamster wheel
- The other is like an escalator
The hamster wheel action is the kind of work we do to avoid the escalator action.
I can win a trophy for hamster wheel action.
Because every time you do work that will reappear in a few days like laundry and dishes and mowing your backyard and it will not change anything other than checking a box on your to-do list. You know it is a hamster wheel action.
You can identify escalator action by knowing that it is scary and hence you are avoiding it, also it will reap results that are unpredictable and hence lead you to more unknown territories and more action that is confusing and new and hence will move your life forward.
You catch my drift.
It is that email you send out to the person who can help you get your work in front of more people or the phone call you need to make to follow up on a project or that demo you need to create in order to get that job.
Do that stuff first!
Know that the hamster wheel work is great, it is reliable, it will always show up and make you feel useful but the escalator work will move you forward and make you strong and push you into a creative problem-solving space and make you feel alive and awesome.
So here’s another life hack and a visual one at that. Ask yourself the following before committing time to something. Before you prioritize things.
- Hamster or escalator?
- First or later?
Put your tasks through these tests and bingo
You will see movement, ascension, and a lot more joy.
But please remember to do your laundry that too is important.
Sending you love and light.
Hawra
