We’ve all had those days.
You wake up, stretch, and lay there for a minute, just enjoying the soft pillow, the warmth of the blankets, and the symphony of the birds singing outside. When you get out of bed, you feel well-rested, refreshed, and full of energy to take on the day.
If you’re like me, those days don’t come as often as you wish they would. Instead, you slap the alarm to shut it up and start rearranging your schedule in your head to figure out how you can fit in a nap. “I could sneak one in at lunch. Eat in the car, then put the seat back. I’ve got ear plugs, maybe drape a handkerchief or a sock or something over my eyes as an eye mask. That could work… yeah… I just need to make it through the next six hours first…”
And off you slog, hoping you don’t fall asleep in the shower.
Most days are somewhere in between. But if it’s not sleep you’re harried for, you’re missing something else. When you’re low on gas, the only thing you can think about is getting to the next gas station. When you’re low on funds, all you can think about is staying afloat until payday. When you’re hungry, you just want to sink your teeth into a third of a pound of flame-grilled grass-fed beef, aged cheddar, sliced tomatoes, and crisp iceberg lettuce on a toasted onion bun.
Whatever we’re lacking draws a disproportionate amount of our attention. One of our needs isn’t being met, so we start focusing our energy on meeting that need.
That focus can work two ways. It depends on your attitude.
The first response is to throw your hands up in despair. “Oh, woe is me! I don’t have enough stuff. Once I have more stuff, I’ll be able to succeed!” This is the Gearing Up Fallacy. It’s an excuse for not making better use of the resources you do have.
A better response is to see it as a puzzle. You have all the pieces you need to get started. You just need to get started.
You’d be surprised at what you can accomplish with what you already have. If you don’t give yourself boundaries, your default solution is going to be more: more time, more money, more stuff. There’s no room for creativity. You can do more than you realize with the resources you already have; you need to give yourself the option of exploring the possibilities without mentally retreating to more.
Really, what is more, but not enough? How far do you have to slide for your thinking to shift from “I don’t have enough” to “I am not enough”?
The truth is, you are enough and you have the resources you need to get started. There is always room to grow and progress, but there’s no better starting point than where you are.
It is when we have the fewest resources that we become the most resourceful.
Question: What do you wish you had more of? How could you do more with what you have? Share your thoughts in the comments, on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.
