Hard Feelings: navigating the finish line *emotional*
Ideas are easy, finishing is hard. It isn’t the work of finishing so much as the emotional turmoil of competition that is the real battle. In this video Seth Godin explains why are brains are wired this way, and how to breakthrough the uncertainty. It’s easier than you think - I wish someone had told me about this ten years ago!!
In this video Seth Godin explain the biological reason that our brains go crazy at the moment we step closer to completion and vulnerably sharing our creativity with the world. Even though ‘shipping’ our ideas is emotionally the hardest part, it’s actually the easiest step because of all the foundation work and momentum we have build up behind ups. In my Hide On or Ride On post, I talk about focusing on the progress and momentum to keep moving through the overwhelm. But here I want to share a new strategy that builds on that idea to break through the uncertainty of what lays ahead.
In the guided meditation below, Davidji sums it up perfectly. We feel lost in the moment of uncertainty, it feels as thought there will be no end to the unbearable feeling. As the mind spins out of control we can no longer think clearly or make the effective decisions we need to complete our projects. Luckily we can ease our brains downward spiral by reminding it that this feeling is temporary. There is a start and end point of this anxious uncertainty. Just imagining what the end point looks like calms the mind and gives it a clear direction. Stop thinking about all the steps to the end, even it feels like a mountain you need to climb, stop to focus on that finish line. What it will look like, how you will feel, and all the hard work being worth it. Because it is.
Mastering Uncertainty Meditation - Davidji
This week I had a big presentation for work, it was my opportunity to make a real impact. With that much pressure you can imagine the rave my emotions were throwing inside me. I literally couldn’t think. I turned to Davidji’s meditation to quiet my mind and there it was, the finish line. After visiting the venue and reviewing the confirmed RSVP list, I was able to clearly imagined the moment when the presentation was over. I felt the relief and the pride in my achievement. Peace. Having that feeling to hold onto was enough to calm my farm, and step into the uncertainty of the last vulnerable steps. The uncertainty remained but it shifted from anxious dread to become an exciting adventure. And in the end, just as I imagined, I nailed it!
Where are you going?
Your Friend,