The Inspiration
Hi friends!
Back after a month.5 at FULL throttle.
Productive! Unsustainable… in either case, I can take a breath.
I’ve realized – at these closure points, I don’t often take the time to step back and feel proud of the effort I’ve put in.
A true product of the Western world – where it is an expectation to achieve, and a failure to fall short – effort excluded.
This bums me out, and it is a Food Network certified recipe for burnout, so let’s address it.
The Innovation
Enter Sprout
Sprout is the perfect product of a perfect world in which she is perfect (unbiased opinion, of course).
OK, even Sprout makes mistakes.
She needs clear direction and well-timed feedback to understand where to course-correct.
Without it, she’s lost and will soon become frustrated and check out.
Perhaps I’ve spent too much time with Sprout (is that even paw-sible?) – but there’s a lesson or two we can draw on from this;
- Like Sprout, we can benefit from clear and predictable anchor points as a measure of personal performance.
- We become vulnerable to frustration when we baseline our success on results that are outside of our control and offer little to no feedback.
The Action
So, what can we depend on as an anchor point – 100% clear and predictable – in all situations?
Your personal effort.
Trust me – I haven’t lapsed on how the world works. Hear me out.
Results are important but can be out of our control. It’s the effort that creates the chance of a result – successful or not.
We want to reinforce the effort to create more opportunities for success to happen, and we want to avoid the burnout that comes from putting too much stock in the outcome.
So, how do we do it?
The first step is awareness;
- Find a stretch of personal or professional effort – past, present, or future – that can be celebrated. Then throw in a calendar reminder to do so when it’s done.
The second step is the practice;
- When that reminder pops up – pause, smile, and take the moment to be proud. Celebrate that moment. You earned it, irrelevant of the outcome.
Now, repeat. You are awesome. Your brain (if it’s like mine) needs to be reminded of that. And the effort will continue to follow.
The Debrief
Now, this isn’t a PSA to become a workaholic.
Effort can be measured in productivity, focus, and value created – not just hours.
This is a simple reminder to check-in and ask “do I celebrate the effort or the outcome? What impact does it have? Is it time for a different approach?”
Remember – no perfect answers… just personal paw-gress (couldn’t resist).
[Sprout’s training treats sold separately]
Chris & Sprout
