Usually, I go the extra mile to do the things I set my heart to do. On most days, that brings really good results and, in turn, makes me better; on other days, I just break. And what happens when I break is that I freeze. And when I freeze, well, I just wouldn't be able to move any further.
...until I learned something.
It doesn't have to be perfect.
I wouldn't say that I am a perfectionist, because I really am not, but I reckon that I am human. Only humans exist, and so there are highs and lows. During the highs, I could go a thousand steps, and during the lows, I should remember that there are better days, but I can still forge forward, even if it's just one step.
For a long time, I wondered why consistency was so hard to attain and maintain. I often beat myself up for starting something and then, days or weeks later, look back to see that I had somehow abandoned it. Certainly, at some point, I felt I couldn't go on and conceded. When I look deeper, though, I realise that I probably failed to embrace imperfection and vulnerability and just gave in.
Just show up every day if there's a slight possibility that you can, and do the little that you can. And that's what I try to follow.
There are many aspects of my life where challenges pose holes for me to get trapped in and give up. These days, I try not to be fazed by them and just "do something." And I owe the paradigm shift to a book by James Clear.
At the university, studying was my everyday thing. It didn't always start like that, but I got tired of having to download everything that I hadn't paid attention to earlier in the semester, all a few nights before the exam. And so, one semester later, I started to put in the work every day.
There were times where I wouldn't feel like actually studying, but then the idea of just going through a page or a couple of sentences, just to do something at least, compounded into something wholesome when exam time came. I would look back and find that, even in the times I felt burned out, just something tiny was enough. And miniature enoughs grew into just enough with time.
Feeling burned out is an illusion. If we don't remember that we repeat a certain task often, we would probably feel just as enthusiastic every time as though we did at some point. The mind sometimes finds repeated tasks boring, so it tries to put up resistance on some days.
Then you feel like you're burned out. Feeling exhausted and not in the right mental state to do something at the right time is a different thing, though, and it usually results from external pressure. It's hard to admit that feeling burned out is actually an illusion, especially when I think that's what I am experiencing, but it really could be just my routine and practices.
My routines and practices, if I were to be honest, aren't at their best and usually don't include adequate rest. What happens when I do not get adequate rest is that I feel way less than I should when it is time to deliver. So, in order to not feel stuck, I consider it important to pave a path that would lead up well to the point where I can deliver sufficiently.
Meditation, exercise, diet, and sleep—like I have been talking about these days—are part of the things I am concentrating on more these days. Among other things, they would help me feel refreshed every time the sun comes up, enabling me to deliver optimal.
I don't have the best tip for getting unstuck in the times for feeling burned out, but I like to think that it really is a thing of the mind most times or being subjected to undesirable circumstances. It doesn't have to be a banger every time. Each time you show up, you add something to your overall growth in the long run. That's what I think. What do you think?
By the way, this post was inspired by the #marchinleo prompt for the day, March Progress. Check here to learn more. And, also, make earnings with your content on Hive via InLeo while you truly own your account. If you're new, sign up in a few minutes by clicking here!
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