Do You Prefer Feast Or Famine ?

Some days there is just not enough time to do it all.  On other days, there seems to be plenty of time with no real rush to get anything done.  There is never an absence of work (for me anyway) but there are some wide swings in the level of urgency regarding the work that I do.  Calls need to be reviewed, audited, analyzed, and sent for coaching.  Plans need to be made for future meetings (with my team, with various site committees, etc.).  Training needs to be completed.  And so on.

More often than not, these activities have a short turnaround time or deadline that creates a sense of urgency to completing the tasks.  I think of those as "feast" times, when there is so much to do that you have to work hard and smart to fit it all in.

But sometimes, nothing is really "due" for days or weeks.  There is a "famine" on urgent work, despite long "To Do" lists.  These times are nice periodically, especially at the end of a very LONG week filled with "feast" days.  But too many of them, or too many "famine" hours in one full day, can be more of a drain on me than the crazy-busy "feast" times.

I derive some of my energy from other people, but most comes from completing tasks and moving things forward.  I think that is why I secretly dread "famine" times.  Because at least when I am exhausted at the end of a "feast" day, I know it is because I urgently squeezed in so many tasks for that day - it was a good, productive, exhausting day.  But when I'm tired or worn out from a "famine" day, there is nothing to look back on and feel any real sense of pride about ... but I'm still exhausted!

Song Of The Day:
I absolutely love the original version of this song by Fun.  But when I heard this cover by Jake Coco, I fell in love with the song in a different way.  So when the feast is too heavy or the famine is slowly draining you, choose to "Carry On" and it will even out soon!

...

Can We Really Make It The Whole Year?

Tis the season to make resolutions.  Out with the old and in with the new.  Bad habits be gone.  New promises to "eat healthier" and "exercise more" or "stop smoking" or "stop losing your temper" or "reading more good books" or "watching less tv" ... or perhaps even blogging daily.  :)

The start of the new year is always full of so much promise.  Everyone believes they can begin anew and really make the resolutions stick this time!  I think this is a good thing.  I believe in our power to change.  I also believe that 99.9% of us want to change for the better and improve ourselves each day.

But I also understand how easy it is to fall back into prior patterns of behavior.  Our vices can sneak up on us and all of a sudden we're in the rut we've dug for ourselves over years of similar actions.

I'd like to offer a few thoughts on how to make this year different:
 - First, don't think of the long-term change.  Just "win the day." Looking too far ahead can cause you to lose steam and give up.
 - Second, talk to others about your goals.  There is real power in peer pressure / support.  Why do you think people have so much better success when they have a personal trainer or mentor or life coach?  Sometimes you need an "objective other" person to reignite your passion to change.
 - Third, celebrate your success.  A recent article I read talked about how our brains are programmed to like winning.  Even if it is a child's game like rock, paper, scissors ... the victory, however small, builds our confidence and releases positive endorphins.
 - And fourth, don't quit just because you miss one day or have one slip-up.  Instead, change your viewpoint and let that relapse remind you of how much better the new you is versus that old you.

So set some resolutions and stick to them.  And if you need someone to celebrate your success with, just give me a shout!  :)

Song of the Day
Today's song is "Some Nights" by the group Fun.  I love this song (minus the f-bomb).  The pulsing drum beats coupled with the passion in the lead singer's voice get me drumming and singing along every time.  In the mellower middle of the song there is a line wherein he asks himself "So this is it?  I sold my soul for this?" and other questions about the decision(s) he has made that led to this point in his life.  If that's not a resolution-related epiphany, then I don't know what one is!