A gaming term I’ve really embraced is the concept of “cooldown timers".
If you haven’t heard of it, a “cooldown” refers to the amount of time you have to wait, once you’ve used a particular tool or special attack, to use that item again. It has to “recharge.”
This gaming mechanic that allows the game creator to introduce additional challenge and strategy to the player. If you have to wait an hour after every attack - you’ll be more selective and careful about how you choose to engage.
The thing is, I think there’s actually a lot of real-life-stuff that has a cool-down period as well.
Example of what real-life cooldown timers might look like, above
Think about it: after you lift weights, you have to wait a certain amount of time before you go again, so you don’t injure yourself.
You usually need to wait a certain amount of time after you start a job to get to the next level.
If you stay up all night, you need to sleep for a certain amount of time before you can get back to productive tasks, or you’ll wind up doing everything topsy-turvy and in slow motion.
And so on, and so on…
We’re all in the middle of various cool-down cycles. Some are very short, and some are so, so long that it feels like they will never end when we are inside of them. And when they do, it can feel very abrupt — and unsettling, even.
It’s all about the timing.
Our desire for doing a thing has to coincide with the circumstances of our lives being right for that thing to happen.
If all the circumstances are right for the thing to happen - the thing you’re doing might blossom forth almost violently with seemingly little effort on your part.
And if it’s not working exactly the way you want…you might still be in the middle of the cool-down cycle. It might not yet be time. Doesn’t mean it will never happen.
Perhaps it’s not a cooling down…but a warming up.
Chances are you are already making your way to where you want to be - even if it feels like you haven’t gotten anywhere.
XOXO,
Cathy
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