I was thinking the other day about how so many of the things we LOVE come things we HATE wrapped up inside of them.
Example: It’s the part of the year where all I can think about is how GOOD it would feel to swim.
And yet…there is so much I HATE about the process of swimming.
I hate water going up my nose. I hate swimsuits. I hate getting swimmer’s ear. I hate how exposed to the blazing sun outdoor pools are, and I hate how the indoor pools all seem to be in crummy basement areas that have bugs. I hate how slippery pool decks are. I’m scared of the ocean and I hate how salty the ocean water is. I hate how sand gets everywhere. It’s all enough to make me want to not even bother.
But when I’m IN the water…the feeling of weightlessness kicks in. I’m delighted by twirling around and feeling my hair float around me. I love the way the world sounds when I dip my ears below the water line. I love how the pull in and out of the waves feels like a theme park ride. I feel cool, peaceful and held.
Most of us get into this field because we have this innate draw to the process of making. The feeling of creating a Thing. The feeling of seeing the Thing live in the world and be appreciated by others.
But there’s a lot that’s associated with that process that might feel unpleasant for us: Searching for clients. Promoting ourselves. Writing proposals or contracts or resumes. Working on a pitch that you pour your heart into that never gets picked up. Having to tell someone that there’s an issue with their performance. Submitting paperwork for someone’s promotion 3x in a row only to have it rejected, AGAIN.
You can get buried in those things — and it can make you not even want to bother.
Never realizing that there are a lot of options when it comes to working situations.
Situations that might allow you to greatly reduce what you dislike and maximize what you prefer.
Or situations where you can challenge your comfort zone without having to move to Mars.
A lot of that adjustment happen without you even having to switch your job.
You get there by being willing to imagine what would work better. By being willing to try a few things. By having a few conversations with a few people.
Even what you might consider a teensy little adjustment — it can feel amazing.
But in my experience, most folks don't really try to adjust things. They just suck it up. They just deal with the "sand."
(Can you tell I REALLY HATE sand? 😂)
What do you wish you could change? What is a tiny first step to that?
Also, does anyone have a great recommendation for a swimming spot in NYC? ;)
XOXO
Cathy