“I Have So Much To Do!”
I have never been busier than at any time of my career as a coach. I have been blessed with several new clients having come into my life. Combine that with efforts toward a charity dinner I help support early in the calendar year, being there to support my wife as she goes through efforts to provide assistance to an aging parent and being there for obligations to which we are both invited, things can get harrowing at times. When one gets overwhelmed, (including myself), it is easy to lament, “I have so much to do!”
And yet, as I was given this some thought the other day, what would I want the alternative to be? Would I like to feel as if I was completely bored with not anything to do? Would I want others to not value my contributions and not want my assistance with their projects or issues? Would I want each day to be the same as the next, with no idea what I may focus on that particular day, or not have meetings or appointments that I would have on my calendar scheduled to attend?
I interact with an interesting dynamic working with those that are going through the transition of either having left their previous job or avocation by choice, (retirement, quitting what they were doing, moving to a new area of the country), or non-voluntarily (being fired, being downsized, having a company move or be sold and not taking the staff with it). Some actually relish these events when they happen. They look forward to not being tied to a schedule, not having to take phone calls or jump at emergencies. And, for some they can phase into such a lifestyle and never have it impact them a bit.
However, I tend to find the opposite. The majority of people I interact with want to be active doing something. Some hope it can be exactly what they have done in the past, (similar job, similar company, similar lifestyle and discipline). For some they are able to make that happen. For others it is not so easy, as perhaps the role they did all their life is not as much in abundance now as it once was. There are those who face the fear of trying something new. Will it work out for them? What if they are wrong? What will others think?
What I tend to find is the more passionate or committed you are to what you are doing, the more likely you are to reach the “I have so much to do” state. And, commitment or passion does not always mean you have to like what you are doing. For example, I’m around many family and friends that find themselves caring for elderly parents. Do they always enjoy what they are doing? Do they find their time compromised? Sure they do. But, if you ask them why don’t they get a caretaker, or hire someone to do it, they will say, “No! Mom or Dad would not want that”. Or they would say, “No, it is my responsibility to do”. What they don’t always acknowledge they are committed to doing it, because frankly they don’t trust anyone else to do it as well as they.
And, when you are in job search or you are starting a new business venture as I did a few years back, you learn there are many steps to take. You just don’t say I want to work for this company, or I want this person to hire me and it happens instantaneously. There is the training that you go through, the learning to market what you offer, the hours of networking meetings, the conversations with potential clients or hiring managers, the number of no’s you will get before you get a yes, and ultimately learning just what it is you do, and how to state it so it connects with others. When I first became a Career Coach, many would say to me, “So you find a job for me.” That was the last thing I did. I did not have jobs available to offer anyone. But, if you wanted to learn the planning, strategy development, methods of how to go about a job search, and items in that vein, then I was your person, (and I ultimately learned how to label it that way, by presenting myself as a Job Search Strategy coach).
So the next time you feel you have “so much to do,” or wonder how you got so involved with what it is that is keeping yourself perpetually busy, ask yourself, “Would you prefer not having it to do, or having nothing at all to do?” If the answer is no, then keep on putting your efforts toward what you are doing and know you are giving it the best you can at that particular moment.
