I was sitting with a client talking about stress, and work, and life in general. And I shared a key piece of advice that always comes out in coaching discussions, "What do you need to stop doing?" Not a miraculous statement, nor a new one. I've heard it many times and used it even more. The problem this time was his response.
"What do YOU need to stop doing?"
He explained that he was looking for insight and suggestion to help him answer the question. The reality for me was that he struck a big nerve.
I knew the answer to the question and the list was long. It started me down a path of asking myself why I was doing all of the things I was doing. In some cases it was for good reasons, but in most it was actually selfish desire.
I took leadership roles to feel important.
I mentored younger businessmen to feel wise.
I exercised to feel that I'm not getting old. To believe I have more time to become the future vision of myself that I had ended up worshipping.
So I quit. Lots of stuff.
Don't worry, I'm still way too busy. But I'm learning.
And now, it's time to resume something that I love, writing.
We will see how it goes.
Q: So what do you need to stop doing? Why do you do it in the first place?