Are you doing the wrong thing?

It took me almost three years to unpack what and who Creative on Purpose was for. That's a long time to spend alone in the desert seeking insight.

While engaged in this walkabout (or was it a coddiwomple?), I developed tools for maintaining my commitment to my endeavor while protecting my sanity and stamina. One was to check-in with myself and ask, "Is what I'm doing now energizing me or exhausting me?"

This question was an internal zest barometer.

Of course, all worthwhile work includes periods of physical, psychological, and spiritual impoverishment and invigoration. But a consistent and sustained season of fatigue is worth naming and paying attention to.

How do you check in with your enthusiasm or enmity for what you're working on?

I began to get pretty good at quickly quitting things that depleted me. Maybe too good.

Having circled back to a hastily dropped plan or project only to find there actually is a there there more than once, I now insert a pause to rethink my approach before quitting a plan or project. This helps me check myself and not mistake a dip for a sunk cost.

When I'm experiencing fatigue or frustration, I ask myself, "Am I doing the wrong thing, or am I doing the thing wrong?"

Overreaching, overthinking, overcommitting, or multitasking often turn out to be the actual source of my tiredness. Pausing, zooming out, and asking for help assist me in regaining the focus, boldness, and discipline I need to find and take the next best small step.

I can then rethink, recalibrate, and recommit to doing the thing better.

What are you experiencing in your journey to discover, develop, or deliver your enterprise? Is what you're doing day-to-day energizing or exhausting you? If the latter, add this question to your zest barometer, "Am I doing the wrong thing, or am I doing the thing wrong?"

Scott Perry, Encore Life Coach

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