[I'm writing this from the Kat Cave while I work on a huge project. It's coming soon. No launch date yet, but soon...] Today’s Kat Cave photo is by Christine Ockenfels in Pheonix. Isn’t Milos the CUTEST??
Milos in Phoenix
Over at Why I Love To Make Mistakes, Gina mentioned she has trouble deciding what inspired actions to take when there are so many from which to choose. Gina, I hear you, girl! I’ve been in that boat, too.
If you have so many ideas that you don’t know which one to take, or if you’ve ever experienced OVERWHELM, this post is for you.
When I have too many options that my head spins, I ask myself these questions before deciding which road to take:
- Is it aligned with my life purpose? This question is the question that trumps all the rest. If your idea is outside of what your life purpose is, then scrap it immediately. In order to know your life purpose, lots of soul-searching is required. Plus, your life purpose may change over time. Whether you know it or not, be patient and loving to yourself. Pat yourself on the back. This can be a hard question to answer.
- Does my gut say “yes”? If you say your idea out loud, and you feel your back straightening out, your head looking upwards, and your shoulders moving back, then your gut is saying YES . . . even if you feel scared.
On the other hand, if you feel your shoulders caving in and your whole body curling up, then your gut is saying “no.” I learned that from Marie Forleo. - If the idea is for business, is it profitable? We music therapists have a huge advantage among business owners. Sometimes business owners tend to be in their business for money only. To this day, I have never met a music therapist who is in business just for the money! We are ALL heart and compassion!
So, we music therapists often need to exercise our muscle that asks “Wait a minute, will this idea return an exchange in value that helps ME prosper?” Yes, we need to take care of ourselves first so that we can take care of others. That way, we can provide stellar treatment to our clients. We deserve to be well. Our clients deserve our best selves. That means that if you are not making a profit, then you are not running a business. And you are doing your clients a disservice. - Is it scalable and/or efficient? Don’t give yourself more work than necessary. Is there a way to take your idea and reach more people? Is there a way to replicate your idea and use it over and over with many different people?
- Does it enrich my life and help me grow? Think of these aspects of life: Financial Health, Physical Health, Emotional Health, Mental Health, Relationship Health, Intimate Health, Family Health. How does my idea help me grow these parts of my life?
- Does it challenge me in a positively-growing-kind-of-way? This one reminds me of an ex-boyfriend. He challenged me so much that I felt my confidence sink when I was around him. That’s not the right kind of challenge. The right kind of challenge allows us to feel vulnerable without losing self-respect. The right challenge allows us to learn new things and evolve over time, while acknowledging the beauty of our less-evolved former-selves.
How do YOU handle overwhelm? I think this is a common issue that comes up for creative thinkers, and no doubt music therapists and drum circle facilitators…
#3 & #4 are often the questions I need to remind myself to ask. Thanks for the helpful list. Looking forward to what your creating.
This is a great post because I often overwhelm myself. I try to convince myself it’s a good problem to have. When I am immersed in something I love or feel passionate about, hundreds of ideas come bubbling out of me and I often I think most of them are, fantastic, amazing, and must-be-pursued. With so many ideas floating around in my brain, I feel like I am sitting at a buffet full of delicious food and it all looks so good I don’t know what to eat first.
When I get to this place, as I often do, I rely on the saying “By small and simple things, great things come to pass.” This is a mantra I live by. So when you are sitting at the buffet of food, instead of stuffing your face with one bite of everything, pick one simple good looking thing and eat it. Maybe you can’t run a marathon but you can go outside each day and walk two miles. That is small and simple. It’s so doable, you are foolish not to try it. This is how I was able to run my first triathalon the summer after I gave birth to my third child. I was so busy with my other young children and massively sleep deprived, but my first step towards my goal was small and simple and I was able to build on that until I reached a goal that previously overwhelmed me. When you start out small and simple, each sucess builds hope within you and gives you courage to try the next step.
The other saying I love is “That which we persist in doing becomes easy to do. Not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our power to do has increased.” I have found that to be true. These are some words of wisdom I live by and they help me to combat I-am-feeling-overwhelmed-paralysis!
Janea! You’re an angel! Thanks for this addition!
#3 & #4 are my hot buttons too =)
Thanks for your post, Kat. And Janea, I love your response. My new business partner and I are opening a non-profit clinic in Portland…and today he heads home for a few weeks to pack up and move here permanently. In addition to running my own private practice, we spent the past week working, working, working on this new clinic and I’m definitely overwhelmed!
I love the list of simple questions and the idea of listening to your body and mind. Last year I picked out enough affirmations to last an entire year, printed them out on homemade paper, and put them all in a sweet little bag. Every day, I pick one out of the bag. It’s a sweet ritual.
Wow! Love your affirmations idea. Great addition, Angie =)
Hey Angie,
Iam in Seattle but come to Portland every so often. I would love to check out your new diggs and see the business you are building. Are you from the NW?
Dear Anonymous,
I am from the Pacific Northwest. Our diggs aren’t complete yet, but we’re definitely hoping to have a grand opening when the time is right…maybe a couple months! If you make it to OAMT’s January conference, I’d be happy to give you a tour. And if you ever have any input, we’re all ears. We still have a lot to learn!