When my first boyfriend and I broke up, I fell to the floor crying, feeling very sorry for myself, although I had played a major role in the breakup. I then proceeded to spend a week sponsoring Ben and Jerry’s lovely children through college. Since I have many food allergies and eating well tends to be challenging for me, living on ice cream alone didn’t much help my ability to cope.
After a week of crying and overall increasing misery, my sister said,
“You might want to watch what you’re eating.”
Like many who feel self-righteous in their decisions, knowing deep down they are bad for us but feeling pushed to defend them, I shot back,
“I don’t think now is the time to think about that.”
My sister, usually quicker than me, said,
“I think now is EXACTLY the time to think about that.” It hurt, but she was right.
I often quote this story from 15 years ago to my sister. This very story is why I’m sending you this newsletter today. Here’s how I almost didn’t make it:
Last night my dear son, who will be a month old on Sunday, didn’t let me sleep much, and you know sleep deprivation IS a form of torture! Although (once again) I obviously played a major role in his existence, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself and considered not sending this newsletter, DESPITE committing to my business group to send it every week for one year. I was (really really) tired and feeling the usual, “what’s the point?” and all kinds of other unhelpful unproductive frowny face thoughts that only mire us further into paralysis. When I mentioned this to my sister, she said, (referencing the above story) “Isn’t now EXACTLY the time to send the newsletter?” So here we are.
Productivity is a fine balance of many things, all having to do with YOU- who you are, desire to be, what works for you, etc. My CEO Rise clients use many Joumor tools to build their self-awareness so they can choose their actions carefully.
Emotions: how do you know which ones are a function of lack of sleep and allergies versus your higher self telling you something?
Actions: as we discussed in The Power of NOT Pushing, there are times to push, and times not to- knowing the difference is key to setting yourself up to win.
Long-term ROI (return on investment) thinking: if I’m already feeling down, will “being easy on myself” and not writing the newsletter give me the best ROI, or will knowing I’ve stuck to my WORD help me more in the long run?
Your productivity is personal. It’s not an absolute thing out there in the world. It’s what you make it, and it’s what makes you proud of you. Making choices that support your health, energy and the quality of people around you determine what you will receive and how you will respond…even when it’s a cute bundle of joy kicking your butt.
How much do you have in your reserves to make a decision that is in integrity with your word, your goals, and your long-term ROI, no matter what?
Ask yourself this simple question: When I look back at this day, what will I have done that will make me proud? And choose the thing that has the “Even though _____________, I did it anyway.”
To your health and productivity.