Have you ever done a massive brain dump? To get everything in your mind onto paper? The process makes it easier to see what is actually going on. It also provides a much needed break for the mind the same way restarting a computer does.
I took a brief retreat last week to reflect on feedback from my Mastermind group. During this time away, I decided to put each and every thought and idea onto paper. The result was astonishing.
It struck me just how much was swirling around in my mind. A multitude of projects, interests, and aspirations had found their way onto pieces of paper, spread out before me.
It was as if I were working on an oil painting, but I had opened too many colors of paint and they were all beginning to deteriorate in quality. When you paint, you want the colors to be rich and vibrant but if the paint sits out for too long, it loses its warmth, hardens, and becomes challenging to work with.
So I asked myself, “What’s the right number of paint colors one can open to make a masterpiece?”
While I think it’s probably different for different people, for me it has always been three. As I looked down, I realized that I actually had seven colors of paint (or areas of focus) in my work environment at the moment. It’s no wonder I wasn’t seeing any engagement or traction!
My question for you is how many areas of focus can you balance in your life at one time? And if you have too many right now, what steps can you take to simplify things?
At the Resilience Initiative, this is what I do for individuals and teams all over the world. When you’re able to discover WHY you do what you do, it makes it so much easier to find the areas of focus that need your unique genius and what you need to let go of. Knowing this also makes it easier to say NO…which for many of us is a game changer.
It’s when you streamline things that you’re able to find a path to success. (And if you need assistance with this process, I’m here to help)