😜Yikes, That’s Me! I Do That All the Time.

Have you ever read or have been told something that you realize it is what you do and not proud of? Well, this happened to me last week and I was quite embarrassed or maybe it was simply disappointed in myself. I belong to a book club, which I enjoy because it has me reading books that I might not typically pick, and read about a term called “sprouting”. In the book, The Mountain is You, author Brianna Wiest, describes “sprouting” as when you learn or do something new. She explains that if you are sprouting something new but not “uprooting” old behavior or beliefs, the sprouting will not flourish or take hold. In other words, you need to dig deep into why you have this behavior.

I realized that I tend to enjoy “sprouting” with programs or projects. When these programs or projects begin, I am all in. However, it they become hard or boring, I drop them or pass off to someone else. I read the few paragraphs over and over and thought “wow, she has me pegged”. I sat there and wrote out at least 6 things I had purchased, joined, or started that I didn’t complete in the last couple of years. To give myself some credit, I do enjoy learning and expanding but when the going gets tough, I tend to become disinterested.

I am changing this. I am digging up all the old roots in this area of my brain. One of the points that I enjoyed about the book is that when she explained an issue or problem, she had a section “how to resolve this”.

Here is how to resolve my enjoyment of “sprouting” but then losing interest and not completing.

1. Recognize the pattern.  I have a pattern of starting a project and not completing. I realize that some I didn’t think it was what I thought and that is okay but what about the other 5-6 projects in the last couple year? It was simply my loss of interest or it made me think to hard LOL.

2. Get clear on what you really want.  In other words, I tend to jump at something and volunteer or join or buy before I investigate. I admit that this has worked out most of the time but if I would take more time to evaluate and investigate before the commitment, I would save myself time and money.

Wiest writes the clarity is key.

3.  Identity the moment that you typically flee, confront the discomfort and stay where you are. Figure out why you are uncomfortable and how to move forward.

In closing, this was a valuable lesson for me. I knew that I had not finished a couple projects before but didn’t see a pattern until this book. I am going to spend more time before jumping into my next big thing.

I am stopping my "sprouting" habit!

Have a beautiful day.