When Working Harder Stops Working

There was a time when I believed working harder was the answer to everything. Then real life examples were shown to me, and I understood that it wasn’t true, coal miners to be specific.

I had an awareness, but I couldn’t see my version of being a miner. Openly, I am not one for slumming it, I didn’t take a gap year for that very reason!

But I remember moments where working harder wasn’t working for me.

• When I’d re-read the same email five times, unable to respond

• When simple decisions felt disproportionately hard

• Even choosing what to eat for lunch became a challenge

I’d look back at my day and wonder "Did I actually achieve anything?” What once came easily; clarity, creativity, vision felt foggy and flat. I started to question myself, “Am I just being lazy?” There were so many things to do, get on with, in front of me, that I didn’t ever stop to think.

I wasn’t being lazy, I was overloaded. Over-functioning in a system that ignored my mental bandwidth, while still believing I was being ambitious, because I was surrounded by hard workers.

Here’s what I’ve come to realise working harder doesn’t bring clarity, it’s the very thing that crowds it.

We’re often taught that pushing through is the only way. Please know there are times when the real strength lies in pausing, in seeking guidance, in breaking the patterns that no longer serve us.

5 Signs that you could be pushing through include:

1. Overcommitting to Opportunities

2. Ignoring Mental and Physical Fatigue

3. Micromanaging Instead of Delegating

4. Avoiding Strategic Reflection

5. Measuring Worth by Output

If any of these feel familiar, know this, you’re not alone and there’s a different way forward, one that honours your energy, your mind, and your potential when you are ready to make changes that suit you, to create your own version of business success while protecting health, happiness, & those who rely on you the most!

Much Love Kellie