Taking A Step Back To Take A Step Forward, Feeling Lazy & Not Being Able To Do It All

We all know that to get to our goals we have to work hard and put the effort in. There is no arguing with that fact but something that is pretty much unheard of or rather it's just not spoken about enough is that sometimes we have to take a step back in some areas of our lives to progress in the long run. And that is something that I've realised lately and it feels so wrong, I feel like I should be doing everything but it's just not possible. So today I wanted to talk all about taking a step back, why it's ok and sometimes completely necessary.

THE BIG PICTURE

As I'm not someone who is all that into the whole 5-year plan thing sometimes I don't focus on the big picture enough. I'm too consumed with getting the day to day done that I forget that a lot of things I'm doing day to day are going to equate to big picture things. And I know it's so easy to just focus on the day to day and often that is completely necessary to get by. But taking a step back and realising there is a big picture to what we're doing right now can be something that is so helpful. When we're busy getting things done we can so easily forget that we're making progress towards our future as it just feels like we're doing the same thing over and over again. Like I said, I am very much someone who likes to focus on the present and the right now as it's all too easy to get lost in the future and miss out on the present. And finding a mix where you bear the big picture in mind but still live in the now isn't easy but something that is necessary.

THINGS TAKE TIME & PROGRESS IS SLOW AND SILENT

We live in a world of instant gratification, we upload something online and instantly there is a reaction to it. This is something that is still relatively new, for so long when you worked hard on something you had to wait a while for it to be released and see a reaction. I know that I'm a total sucker for instant gratification, I want to know what people think about something and I think a lot of us struggle with not having that when it comes to long-term plans. When you're working hard on something that you're not sharing sometimes it can feel like you're not doing anything at all even when you are. Progress is so often slow and silent which can feel incredibly frustrating and like you're not getting anywhere even when you are.

IT'S OK NOT TO BE ABLE TO DO IT ALL

I've spoken about not being able to do it all before and it's something that I feel so passionately about. We're surrounded by images and streams of people seemingly doing it all without any worry or pressure. And even though deep down I know that they aren't that realistic I still get suckered in by it all. There should be no shame in not being able to do it all and constantly being burnt out from trying to do everything all at once. Trying to tackle absolutely everything and find a balance is tough, there is no denying that and things constantly pull our focus in different directions. Sometimes there might be days where you nail your to-do list but you're not able to see a loved one or have some time to yourself. And that is just what life is like sometimes, there is no shame in it and anybody who is putting out that they're able to do it all is probably lying.

IT DOESN'T MEAN YOUR LAZY

One of my biggest fears is that people think that I'm either lazy or that I don't work hard. A fear that I've had ever since I had to take time off from work because of health issues and it's stayed with me ever since. And the thing is that I know I don't have to prove myself to anybody that I work hard and put the hours in because I'm my own boss. I know I work hard and nobody should feel like they need the approval of other people to justify or validate their workload. Sometimes we have to take a step back with something in our lives, for example right now I'm having to take a step back from the things that I do for free with my work load in order to make room for the things that pay my bills. It's something that sounds so obvious and should be so natural but it's not and when you're self-employed that is the story for so many of us. And when the things that you do for free are the things that get you paid work it's a tricky minefield. We talk about being lazy like it's the worst thing in the world but sometimes it's ok to be a little lazy to refresh and reset when you work crazy hard every day.

A SHIFT IN FOCUS AND A DIFFERENT SEASON

Having the realisation that life works in different seasons was a game changer for me. No day is ever the same let alone a month or a year so why would our seasons be the same. For some, they have a season where they seriously hustle and then the next season their focus might have to shift towards their personal life a little more. Shifting your focus isn't the easiest thing to do, especially if it's to something that might not revolve around work or your income as that is what takes up the majority of our time. Of course, it would be amazing if we could give our focus and energy to every single thing in our lives in equal measure but it's just not possible and we need to stop feeling so guilty about it. We all have to work, we know this but that doesn't mean that work and your to-do list has to dominate your entire life.