When the world was in flux, there may have been projects or personal passions you put on the back burner – whether it was to write a book, or start a side hustle, learn a new language or go back to school. Maybe you had to devote time and energy to higher priority work projects, or there was a family member or personal situation that required your immediate attention.
Now is the time to figure out whether to revisit those projects and put them on the front burner – or not. The first thing you might ask yourself is ‘do I have the time?’ Here are some things that may help you determine your next move.
Is it still a priority?
Before making any decisions, be clear on what you want for your life and if now is the right time for you to pick something back up. An easy way to solve these outstanding questions is to sit down and write out your goals, whether it’s for the next 6 months, the next year, or within 5 years time. Goals are constantly evolving and changing (as are you), does this task or project still fit your priorities going forward?
How would you know if it’s still important to you? You have an internal consultant who provides free services – it’s your future self! Consult your future self to get answers about whether to proceed with the project or not. Imagine yourself going through the process to complete this project. Now that you’ve placed yourself in the future when it’s finally accomplished, check in with yourself and notice your energy. Will it bring you joy? Is it a ‘should’ or a ‘want to’? Do you feel proud of what you’ve accomplished, and are you happy you did it? Or do you feel dread and exhaustion even thinking about it?
Did you put it on the backburner because you didn’t believe in yourself to do it?
If you were to ask someone who knows you well, would they say you are owning your value or your ability to do the project, or rather that you are judging yourself too harshly?
Did someone tell you that you couldn’t do it? Good, prove they’re wrong!
Are you afraid it might not work out?
You might have put off starting a project for fear of making a mistake and having the situation unfold in an unfavorable way. Instead, try to keep a growth mindset and embrace the never ending learning process.
I experienced these concerns when I recently completed my new book In Your Power. At the beginning when my Publisher approached me to write the book, I was unsure how to proceed and thought maybe I shouldn’t accept the opportunity. But, I maintained a growth mindset and believed that I would figure out the process as I went through it. As I coached and interviewed women leaders during the writing process, I developed new frameworks and ideas. These new insights, and seeing how the pieces of the project came together into a whole, were amongst the most exciting moments of the journey.
If you are worried that the situation won’t work out and that you will have wasted your time and energy, change your mindset to think that whatever the outcome, it will work out for you–you will have learned something.
Put your efforts into initiatives that will make your life better!
Sharon’s new book In Your Power is here now. https://www.amazon.com/Your-Power-Regain-Control-Others/dp/1119898862
