How 7 Days on the Couch Inspired My Outlook for 2018
The last week of 2017 was full of dry coughs, achy muscles, and volatile body temperature changes. My wife and I found ourselves sinking into the couch, surrounded by tissues and mugs of tea.
Being sick wasn’t the ideal way to spend the last few days of the year. Especially considering I hadn’t fallen ill all year.
I was especially disappointed considering all I had planned for the week. With no projects in the queue and the Midwestern chill as an incentive to stay home, I was looking forward to cleaning, reading, reflecting, and unplugging.
The end of the year is opportune for rest, reflection, and refining your approach. I’d already determined that 2018 would be “The Year of Preparation” for me. (2016 was “The Year of the Grind”. 2017 was “The Year of Patience”).
I was bummed that my time off would be wasted rather than getting my mind and body ready for the next steps.
But then I had a revelation…
Once the fog started to clear, I noticed something. Being inundated with illness reminded me of the significance of how we spend our time.
While I sat on the couch, devoid of energy, wishing I felt up to analyzing my spending habits, and figuring out how to refine my goals, I realized how many times I had chosen to do just what I was doing now — nothing — when I could’ve been doing the things I wished I could be doing now.
I was reminded that seizing the day does matter; that urgency is a virtue; that what we will do eventually, we should do immediately.
And most importantly, that our actions truly reflect our priorities.
In the time since, I’ve been able to reflect on the value of taking action, staying on offense, and remaining present, and how those ideals can help you move forward.
Act and iterate
Inspiration wanes.
But if you move quickly when struck with it, you can capture the momentum and use it to propel you forward.
If you have an idea you want to share, write it. If you want to be healthier, toss your junk food.
Take a step. Any step. Then refine your approach as you go. If you gain momentum and it feels good, you might be on the right track.
Moving quickly doesn’t mean hastily, or carelessly, either. It doesn’t mean to rush into big decisions, or feel overwhelmed.
Just do it and see how you feel afterward.
Stay on offense
The best athletes in the world sometimes train harder in their offseason than the regular season.
Why?
Because it’s easier to stay on track than it is to catch back up. Remember how it felt like you’d forgotten everything you learned the previous school year after the summer? Or how you feel like you’re on defense against your email when you return from a vacation?
It’s because you took your foot off the pedal. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t value in unplugging, recovering, or stepping away. There is.
But to stay sharp, you’ve got to stay prepared.
Keep your mind and body active in some way at all times.
Remain present
Urgency requires presence.
What matters right now? What hurdle should you address first and foremost? How can you best contribute to the conversation you’re having right now? Or the work you’re doing? The goal you’re pursuing?
Or the life you’re living?
If you can keep the idea of presence in your sights, you can more effectively address life with the urgency that it’s owed.
Approach this new year as if you could get annoyingly, persistently, sick at any moment and the things you’ve been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to do might not be an option.
Action. Offense. Urgency.
Seem fair enough?
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