Good-doing, bad-doing: they are not the same
“It is not enough that we are busy, so are the ants. The question is what are we busy about?”
Henry David Thoreau
Photo by hybridnighthawk on Unsplash
We are well through the transition into the new year and marching ahead to March. Since this is no ordinary year nor ordinary time, many of us may be wondering in this context whether to let go of any goals. In the face of exhaustion, more goals can just feel overwhelming.
Are you doubling down on goals and intentions or are you easing off and taking a different view of what is important? Are you playing into your action strength or are you appreciating that perhaps something different may be called for?
If you are like me and many of my clients, goals are a great way to focus effort and energy and manage uncertainty. It can help us feel a modicum of control amidst much of what we cannot control right now. Goals are the gateway for aligned action, and it is this kind of doing aligned to purpose and intentions that is a strength and leads towards achievements and success.
However, beware of another kind of doing. I have realised, for me, that there are two types of doing – the good kind that moves me forward and the not so good kind that can seem productive but is really a salve for pesky and inconvenient emotions that I fear may derail my focus if I were to stop and be present to myself. Or it can mask a deeper need or signal that something else is required right now.
This kind of doing can prevent us from taking time out to think, strategise, prioritise and ask deeper questions. It can get in the way of relaxing, re-energising and connecting with ourselves, our inner wisdom and with others. In fact it can keep us in a vicious cycle of never switching our brains off and may even contribute to an experience of anxiety, overwhelm and exhaustion.
Just the awareness of this distinction may help you spot the good and the bad kind of doing, pause and make a different choice.
If this post resonates for you, I would love to know what are your signs that you are engaging in the bad kind of doing and how you respond more constructively. If enough people reply I will share the insights with you next time.