Think Bite-sized
Have you ever daydreamed about something you might want to achieve, change or have in your life? Notice how often your mind will click through what it will take to achieve your desired goal, and then that little annoying voice in your head kicks in and asserts, “it’s too much to do — just never mind.” Are you the type of person who starts out like gangbusters charging toward your goal by gathering various planning gizmos, advice, inspirational quotes, and tools to get started, and then feels completely overwhelmed by all the ways to move forward? Inevitably, you hear that negative voice — “just never mind.”
As a life and executive business coach, I’m fortunate to work with a wide variety of people, and there’s one particular commonality I find fascinating. It’s that sense of wanting to be, have or do something, but finding yourself stuck in the muck! You get hyped up about it and then settle into a “just never mind” mindset.
Recently, I was coaching someone who was in that state of having so much she wanted to do, but she couldn’t move forward. She had acquired all the planning tools and had several motivational quotes pinned to her wall, but nothing was helping. In fact, her collection of “you can do it” paraphernalia made it even worse for her — as it loomed in the background waiting to be used.
As she heard herself talk to me about this all-too-familiar scenario in her life, she proclaimed, “what if I just take on something bite-sized?” Suddenly, everything lifted from her shoulders and she realized she could take one “bite,” and then perhaps another and another. Sounds simple, right? However, it’s simplicity that’s gets lost when clarity dissipates. Sometimes we find our own self-sabotaging behavior is the very thing preventing us from moving forward.
At the Servant Leadership Institute, we have nine servant leadership behaviors to help you grow and develop. We suggest you start by selecting one of them and then intentionally focus on what you can do to be a better leader around that behavior. You’ll be amazed at the difference you’ll feel when you take a little extra time for yourself to flourish step-by-step.
Developing as a servant leader is a matter of taking one step at a time. If you naturally have a servant’s heart, chances are you tend to overdo, which often leads to feeling completely overwhelmed. In this case, it’s more important than ever to slow down, gain clarity on the situation, and ask yourself where you can bring or to whom can you bring the greatest value in this moment.
The next time you find yourself going around and around about something, with your feet feeling stuck in the muck, ask yourself, what if I just take on something bite-sized? It’s a simple question, with a powerful effect.
What challenge have you overcome in your personal or business life and what helped you to “break through” to the solution? Share with us.
Robin Swift
President, Servant Leadership Institute