020: Before you give up, do this
Next time you’re feeling like giving up, please just take a minute to check this one thing. Sometimes when you dig into what’s actually going on, the wanting to give up comes from a different place than you might think.
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers, and a very happy Tuesday to you. Now, I don't know about you, but some days everything seems like a lot of effort. There are days when it feels like it would be so much easier to give up and pull the plug. There are days, sometimes even weeks or months, when you forget why you do what you do or why you want the things you want, and you just feel like walking away. And before I get into what I really want to share with you today, I want to remind you that we all have those days. No matter where you are in your journey, we have all felt like that one time or another. You might look at your favourite creative heroes, your favorite artists, writers, musicians, and think that they're exempt from this, but they absolutely are not. So now that we've got that out of the way, when you feel like you are this close from throwing the towel in and giving up, I want you to check one thing.
Check that you're not exhausted first. Every single time I've nearly thrown the towel in, it's when I've been absolutely drained. It's been from a place of needing more time and space rather than a genuine lack of enthusiasm for the work. It was like I was just too tired to think of anything but the immediate obvious, which was quitting right then and there on the spot. But so many times I haven't made the link. I think I'm exhausted because I need to give up, but that's not the case. In fact, I think I need to give up because I'm exhausted and I'm just not thinking clearly. And it happens over and over again with the wonderful women I work with.
I'd say around 90% of the time when we dig into what's actually going on. The wanting to give up comes from the exhaustion and the fallout of that. Everything just feels too much. So much else has been going on in their lives and there just hasn't been adequate time to rest and recuperate, and they've just become burnt out. Now, I am not advocating for never quitting. Quitting can be sometimes the bravest thing you can do. It can make space for new adventures. And I am not about holding onto things just because you've got too much pride.
You worry about how it's going to make you look, or, let's be honest, it just hurts your ego a bit. But there is definitely a time to quit and there's definitely a time to rest. And the time to quit is when you have the mental energy to make that decision. It's when you've got the mental energy to take more of an objective point of view and and work out where your heart is. And if you're trying to make a decision but you're too tired to think about it properly, then that is the time to go and rest first. Don't torture yourself spending extra energy that you don't have, thinking about something you won't be able to make a decision on in the first place because you're too damn tired. So the next time you're feeling like giving up, please just take a minute to check in with yourself. What are your energy levels like? Are you taking on too much? Have you been going for so long that it feels like you've forgotten where the brake pedals even are? Or have you been so needed by other people and unable to give things to yourself that there's nothing left to give you?
So, to end today's Daily Pep, here are some words to live by. Never pick an argument when you're hungry, never send the email when you're pissed off, and never make big life decisions when you're exhausted. See you tomorrow.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
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A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you. Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
