ELEPHANTS

PRACTICE: Identify the elephant(s) in your life today or this week. Write them down in your journal or on a note card.

It is just too much! I am overwhelmed! There is too much to do, not enough time to do it and not enough resources. I just don’t know how I am to get it all done. “IT” is my ELEPHANT. I have been known to utter these words between clenched teeth or most frequently to myself. After all, verbal utterance signifies an inadequacy or, so I think. In this space, I am left wondering, “How do I cope?” Well, I have two choice, I can completely shut down and do nothing or I can stop, gather my thoughts and formulate a plan of action. My tendency is the later. I am a believer in incremental shifts.

Here’s what I mean. When I gather my thoughts after stopping, the global shift (the destination) is much clearer. When I can clearly identify the destination, the elephant diminishes in size or, so it seems. I can begin to identify the incremental shifts needed to reach the goal. Incremental shifts are just bite size pieces or steps that propel me forward. They are small enough that I don’t get choked up or overwhelmed.

So how does this apply to you? You know that your current pace can’t continue – you are exhausted, short on patience and work is a beast! STOP! Absolutely stop and get a good night’s rest or take a walk around the block. Rest does two things, it allows one to gather one’s thoughts and improves one’s potential to be patient with self and others. When I am rested, and thoughts are clear, I can more accurately see what needs to happen sequentially to get through the day or the work completed. I can more clearly assess what is critical, verses ancillary. When I am rested and not bogged down, foggy thinking is cleared. The incremental steps to getting the job completed fall into place. When I am rested, execution of the plans happens.

In case you are still wondering about the key I use to eat my elephants, it is the golden key called REST.

Psalm 23:2

PONDER THIS THOUGHT - Do I eat the elephants or do the elephants stampede me?