A Re-Introduction from The Pocket
A Re-Introduction from The Pocket
Plus, a Playlist & a Potent Formula for Your Pursuits
Good day, dear reader.
It’s been almost five months since my last writing. That was a long, unintended leave of absence. I’m writing today to let you know that I’m back, and that I intend to return to posting regularly. Things may look different with what I share and how I frame the offerings, but I will let that emerge in its own time.
For now, I want, first, to share briefly about this five-month pause. There was an ongoing set of health challenges in our family, which lasted for a protracted span of spring into summer. I was in a caregiving role that was all-consuming. Managing it required that I hunker down, and it tested my ability to express about it here. It still does. I’m grateful to say that we are, as Taylor Swift says, “out of the woods” for now.
Once we were in the clear, though, the necessary pause was prolonged by a sticky matter of inertia. I lost the momentum and passion for posting here, and it became evermore challenging to boost that back up with every day that I was away.
On the Rich Roll podcast today, his guest Steven Bartlett shared this clear, simple framework for elucidating how certain initiatives can be propelled into traction. The explanation begins at about the 15-minute mark, but the nutshell is this…
A Pursuit = Your Why + Enjoyment - Friction
For any strategy or goal, first, consider and get crystal clear on Your Why for pursuing it. Then, do everything in your power and control to increase the enjoyment associated with pursuing it while reducing the friction in the way of pursuing it.
That simple equation brought the final nudge that got me back to writing. Yes, I got reacquainted with how much meaning and purpose come from the pursuit of writing The Pocket. And I also was reminded how much I enjoy the process: sitting here in my precious solitude listening to an exquisite Flow mix on Spotify that my dear friend created at the beginning of the pandemic.
And reducing the friction was, for me, easy peasy lemon squeazy once the “why” and the “enjoyment” were back in place at the seat of my heart.
Where there’s joy and purpose and meaning, there are a few tactics to help break through inertia:
Say to yourself, “I am a success at this pursuit today.” (Research shows that saying “I am…” empowers and entrains our subconscious to pull in all sorts of magic to propel us on our way.)
Carve out far less time than you imagine in which to do the thing. (Research shows that limiting a time-block in this way affords your mind a heightened sense of agency, an added dose of which can be instrumental in nudging a habit into alignment.)
Put on music, eat a treat, slurp a bubbly beverage, pair the thing with some small pleasure. (Whatever it takes to boost that enjoyment to a higher level than the friction.)
It’s a pleasure to be back at it with you. And it was instructive and a relief to coach myself back into harmony with this Pocket pursuit here. Which reminds me:
I have some openings for new coaching clients starting at the end of this month. Hit me up if there’s a pursuit, transition, or inner critic that you need support with.
And welcome back to The Pocket; thanks for your patience, and thanks for reading.
Yours,
Griff