As a life-long Midwesterner, one would think I’d be used to the never-ending cold, grey, winter days. NOPE. This winter has been one for the record-books, as even the local weather announcers are lamenting the record-number of grey days since January 1 . . . reporting there have been less than 5 days of partial sun in the last 50 days.
No wonder we’re all walking around in a foggy funk . . . like zombies . . . just going through the motions!
What to do . . . what to do . . . ?
When I finally recognize I’m stuck in the fog (literally and metaphorically) and not moving in a positive direction, I rely upon a tried-and-true path for pulling myself up and getting myself back into a proactive mode . . .
SHRED, THREAD, AND BREADCRUMBS!
SHRED . . .
Decluttering, sorting and organizing have been getting a lot of attention lately, with promises of “clearing out the old energy to make room for the ‘new and improved’ positive energy.” I KNOW it works . . . when I make the effort to DO IT. My old-habit pattern is to focus on the client work-at-hand, letting the stacks on my desk get higher until I reach a point of not being able to find the ONE thing I desperately need NOW.
LESSON LEARNED (again), “Shred and shed what no longer serves me.”
TODAY is the day to clear off my desk and get the “stuff” off the floor so I can look forward to walking into my office every morning!
THREAD . . .
I re-learned THIS lesson over the past weekend from our dog, Chewy. One of his favorite stuffed toys is a large green frog which “ribbits” when you shake it (he LOVES toys with sounds). I had placed the frog up on a shelf, as it needed repairs from when he chewed off one of the legs. Chewy spotted the 3-legged frog and proceeded to bark incessantly as his way of asking to play with HIS frog.
Silly me . . . I grabbed the needle and thread I keep at-the-ready for toy repairs and quickly stitched the frog leg back on before tossing back to Chewy. A few minutes later, I noticed the just-stitched leg laying all by itself on the floor. Yep, apparently Chewy prefers his frog with only three legs. He was even careful enough when he chewed it off again to leave the new stitching intact so the stuffing didn’t fall out. How NICE of him!
LESSON LEARNED (again), “The threads that bind us together don’t have to be perfect; perfection is in the eye of the beholder.”
Chewy is perfectly happy with his 3-legged frog. Who am I to try and convince him otherwise? It doesn’t have to be perfect to be loved. That extra leg has now been “shed” into the trash bin.
BREADCRUMBS . . .
Even though the breadcrumb trail failed Hansel and Gretel, we still use the term breadcrumb trail to denote connected bits of information that may be followed back to the source. The “source” in this case is my WHY. My WHY is to serve our clients by helping them Find Their Brand Voice, Share Their Expertise, and Monetize Their Passion. When I’m caught in the fog of winter and not sure which path to take . . . I’ll ALWAYS be led back into the light of clarity and my WHY when I remember to follow the breadcrumbs . . .
- Return that phone call
- Answer that email
- Take care of ‘loose ends’
- Take a chance and connect with new people
LESSON LEARNED (again), “watch for the breadcrumbs . . . AND pick them up.”
I’ve also learned that even if I can’t see the breadcrumbs, just keep walking . . . they WILL show up . . . as long as I keep in motion, with my eyes open wide.
SHRED, THREAD, AND BREADCRUMBS!
What to do . . . what to do . . . ?
Are you in a foggy winter-funk with your overall brand or with the writing of your book? Then it’s time to activate the SHRED, THREAD, and BREADCRUMBS process!