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Another Step Forward

Yes, friends, it’s another step forward. I’ve completed another phase of my project. It may seem inconsequential to you, but it’s a giant leap forward for me.

Baby Steps

I mentioned last time that I had experienced all 12 Stages of Burnout and that I am still in recovery. Having found the video about the Burnout Gamble, Hamza Khan pointed out to me that I was very much in danger of reliving that hellish rollercoaster ride.

Nope! Not gonna do it.

So, instead, I’ve been focusing on only doing what I can do. I have a much less aggressive schedule of daily tasks. I know what I used to be capable of. I’m hoping to get back to that level of creativity and capacity, but I’m really struggling to do the absolute basics.

I see other people talk about what they do in a day and I’m just about ready to have a panic attack just thinking about that level of output. I know that I’ve done more with less in the past, but Burnout really screws you up (neurochemically speaking). As Mr. Khan mentioned, concentration is not what it used to be. That seriously sucks. I really hate being able to look back and see that I can’t accomplish what I used to be able to.

Nevertheless, I do what I can. I keep my daily goals modest and keep trudging along.

To the high-pressure gurus and motivation fiends who would have me “man up” and not be “a wussy” and “stop making excuses“, I say just wait your turn. Nothing lasts forever and the more you take for granted the glamor and luxury you’ve cocooned yourself with, the harder it will be to manage the fall.

For now, I’m taking baby steps. Hopefully, like Bob here, I’ll begin building my tolerance and capacity and begin to return to something like the “normal” me again someday. Hopefully, someday soon. Whatever the case, I’m taking baby steps toward that seemingly modest goal.

Some More Rules

Rule #91: Not yet cited in Star Trek episodes, movies or novels

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

This has been a hard lesson for me to learn. I, like so many others, want to jump ahead to the good part. It’s hard to be patient, but it’s easier to manage when you can tell that your baby steps are guiding you where you really want to go.

Rule #92: There are many paths to profit

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to profit. Everyone must find his own path to financial solvency. Some people trudge away at multiple jobs. Some people find their passion project and leverage it for a living. Some people become financial moguls. Some are just thieves.

Rule #93: Not yet cited in Star Trek episodes, movies or novels

Some people dream of success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen.

That’s what I’ve been doing of late. There is no shortcut. You just have to do something, then do the next thing, then the next…

Rule #94: Females and finances don’t mix

Well, that may be true on Ferenginar but in my experience, women have as much (if not more) financial acumen as men. Then again, it’s not actually true on Ferenginar either:

Rule #95: Expand or die

Since “Greed is eternal“, and profit is the ultimate goal of a Ferengi’s life it stands to reason that they’d espouse this particular point of view. There’s always more profit to be wrung out of any business deal for them.

For us, let’s say that what we need to expand is love, freedom, self-expression, knowledge and all that good stuff. When you stop doing things that truly make life worthwhile, you truly begin to die. You die inside a little bit at a time. You become stultified, boring, reclusive, a hermit and eventually a corpse. Only by expanding your capacity to love, to learn, to live will you truly wring every drop of joy out of existence.

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So, having reached an important milestone, I can wipe the sweat from my brow (figuratively, of course, it’s way too cold out to be perspiring much) and begin the next one. You should, too. Do something, then do the next thing. Get ‘er done!