“Distracting yourself from the goal, might just help you get there”
Her, Jan-2024
Today was a blur. I woke up early for a call, had a throbbing headache until my next meeting, completed some work and went to bed until yet again, my last meeting of the day. I then proceeded to miss my workout class because the lift in my building was broken – and I couldn’t find a boxing class either. It was like the universe knew my body secretly was begging me to take a pause. Maybe the muscle pain wasn’t just a call to keep going.
I realized that I have a tendency to give myself a hard things in a lot aspects of my life when things don’t go according to plan – my plan. But if it’s out of my control, what’s the use in mulling? Sometimes it doesn’t make sense. Sometimes it’s okay to take pause. But taking the pause only made me realize, I’m going to make tomorrow the day of my dreams. No early morning calls tomorrow, so we’ll be in a cafe, grinding out that alteryx certification and finishing up some admin work. And then we’ll also get some errands done, before going to the workout class. It’ll be a vibe, I already know it.
Yesterday, I also spoke with a student at my alma mater (wow that’s so weird to say!) who reached out for a coffee chat. I went on this lengthy rant about women in the workplace and how I really want to help women bring their most authentic selves in all aspects of life to reach their full potential. It’s fully possible, and I’m tired of seeing us put on a facade to fit with the system. Maybe we’ve got it wrong – maybe it’s the other way around – maybe, or actually, it might be the system in the wrong. I really am excited about potentially starting something to get us all together, working through our battles with a united front. I can understand how isolating it can feel when you’re just going through the motions, and it can often lead to a rabbit hole – one that can be extremely hard to climb out of. But knowing that there are other people there to support you, can help you get up.
I also realized today that it’s not only about the journey and focusing on the progress, but also breaking it down. When you have a huge task in front of you, you can’t look at the end destination or how far you need to go. Instead, just focus on the steps you need to take. I thought of this while taking the stairs to my floor (13th) since the elevator wasn’t working. But thinking to myself “omg I gotta get to 13th floor urgh that’s so far!”, wouldn’t help in any capacity. A freakout is a mere pause in your progress – instead, I encourage you to distract yourself from the goal, maybe by just looking at where you are, focusing on the steps (make a game out of counting your steps), and just keep on moving. It’s funny but sometimes, distracting yourself from the goal, eventually gets you there. That’s why procrastinating/taking a break actually helps – when you have a goal in your mind, it’s ruminating in your subconscious, and when you’re back to the task, you have a fresh perspective (not entirely relevant)!
A final epiphany – I love helping people. I love helping where I can, and I love providing unsolicited advice to people once in my shoes. I love it. To bits. And the reason behind the title of today’s dive, is to change our mindsets.Look up, my friends. The best is yet to come. Take each day as it comes, never forget the purpose of life is to live it fully, and know that you’re on your way.
