The Inspiration Nation

At a networking meeting yesterday morning, I made a confession.

It wasn't particularly easy to say, but what I think stops people in their tracks and keeps people "stuck" is the feeling that they are all alone, that they are the only one experiencing the thing, and that no one would understand.

My challenge in the past has been not wanting to be perceived as a complainer.  Who wants to hear my troubles anyway?

So, I find myself yet again plugging away -- struggling, really -- on my own.  Not exactly what I'd call fun.

Have you ever felt that way?

With the population of the world numbering into the billions, there's a good chance that whatever it is we may be struggling with, someone else is struggling with the same thing.

So I threw caution (and trepidation) to the wind and decided a couple of days ago that I would make my confession on Monday.

What was my big confession?

That I felt like a complete LOSER (with a capital L) all week last week.

I felt like I was behind the 8 ball at every turn, running around like a chicken with its head cut off, and really not quite understanding what was going on.  I also was physically dragging all week, generally feeling very tired and lethargic.  One day last week, I took two naps!

I also found myself not getting anything done that I had planned to do to further my business, so I felt not a little bit depressed and disappointed with myself.

On Friday, I had a chat with my accountability partner, during and after which I felt like even more of a loser.  He only spoke truth, confirming that I had accomplished very little of what I committed to accomplishing that week.

He was neither harsh nor lacking in compassion, but he didn't pull any punches either.

I don't know about you, but getting punched doesn't feel very good.

So, feeling crushed and wanting to crawl under a rock and die, I opened a book and read the line in C.J. Hayden's Get Clients Now! book that gave me a different, better perspective:

"There is no failure, only feedback."

So, relieved, I exhaled.

And then I picked myself up, recommitted, and stepped back on my path.

I tend to create a lot of activity in my life.  This is both a blessing and a curse.  I enjoy having many things going on at any given time.  Activity and action are the stuff of life and I love life!  Carpe Diem!

I imagine many of you reading this right now can relate; you may have a personality that enjoys activity and being involved in many things.  The challenge is that busy-ness does not always equal productivity -- or even fun, for that matter.  Left unchecked, we may suddenly find ourselves in a state of paralyzing overwhelm.

And who wants to be paralyzed by anything?

This topic -- the insidious nature of the beast we call Overwhelm -- has come up a lot lately, and as Stever Robbins points out, it doesn't appear to be going anywhere.

Overwhelm is a funny thing (and I don’t mean the funny-ha-ha variety).  It seems to grab you when you least expect it and in the most inconvenient of times.  The tendency is to shut down.  I think it’s a sort of self-defense – the “flight” part of our reactionary “fight-or-flight” mechanism.

My partner, Chad, introduced me to this odd expression “Negative Capability.”  What in the world is that, you say?  The expression seems contradictory, since “capability” connotes something positive and “negative” means, well, something negative.

Much has been written about what Keats meant, and I won’t bore you to tears here about all of it (not that’s it boring; it’s just that much of it is not relevant), but somewhere I read (I unfortunately cannot recall where) that “capability” doesn’t always mean “able to do something.”  It has the same root as “capacity” or “space.”

If Keats meant Negative Space, then it becomes clear what he was saying.  To illustrate the point, I think of an empty cup.  Though empty, it still contains space – negative space.  The same can be said of negative space in art, the area around and not including the subject of the art.

Looking back at his letter, Keats tells us exactly what he means:  “when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact & reason.”  In other words, rather than be consumed by overwhelm, a “Man (or woman) of Achievement” allows space for the “uncertainties” of life.

What a relief when we let go of the need to be right or to be in control all the time!  Sometimes we are busy “reaching after fact & reason” (“Why does this always happen to me?") that we miss out on the untold gifts that come our way if only we embrace that which confuses and overwhelms us.  It just makes sense that being in the state of not knowing is needed for learning to take place.  If you know everything already, you can’t learn anything.

Of course, Keats was a poet and was referring to  ‘amazing men’ of poetry.  However, by extension, it appears that Keats is saying that we should embrace the “uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts” -- the overwhelm -- because it is in the moment of highest frustration that we find ourselves on the brink of an amazing breakthrough.

Or, said another way, confusion, doubts and uncertainty are prerequisites to creativity.  Creation and creativity is borne out of confusion.

Rather than worrying and asking ourselves unproductive questions, like “Why is this happening to me?” or “How will I ever get all this done?,” how much more empowering is it is allow room for Negative Capability to work its magic on us!

The other day, I was remarking about how insidious overwhelm can be, sneaking up on you (read, me) and possessing mind and body.  What to do?  What to do?

I found an archived article by Stever Robbins in the January 2005 issue of the Harvard Business School Working Knowledge for Business Leaders that hits the nail on the proverbial head.

He got it right when he in effect said that overwhelm is an equal-opportunity employer.  "Everyone seems to be suffering from daily overwhelm," Robbins says.  "At best, we flounder. At worst, we shut down entirely."

Wouldn't you agree?

But Mr. Robbins doesn't leave us in the dark.  Some might say his solutions to the problem are radical.  I wonder what you think. (?)

I invite you to read Stever Robbins' complete article on the subject, but here are Stever Robbins' Overwhelm-defeating suggestions in summary:

When you hit a wall:

• Breathe.
• Lean into the overwhelm.
• Take a break.

Change your mindset:

• Adopt "labor savings" only if you're sure they won't result in long-term overwork.
• Don't multitask important tasks.
• Never multitask people.
• Delegate.
• Become emergency driven.
• Settle.
• Schedule vacations.
• Say NO.