Peter is an editorial/corporate photographer, working on his own since 2000. He wrote me last week to ask for help with his focus and to find a starting place to improve his situation.
“I’m making a living,” he told me, “But I know I could be more financially secure and more mentally satisfied.” “From following the progress of leaders in my field, I see where I am and where I need to be to be successful. But that gap is so huge for me that the “to-do” list seems too long to even start writing. I feel paralyzed. I feel guilty when I’m with my two young children and not working, and I feel guilty when I’m trying to get something done in the home office. I want to make more money, but I’m not willing to work 70 hours week.”
You don’t have to work 70 hours a week to be a successful professional. 35 hours will get the same result if you are focused. Peter appears to be grappling with two issues affecting his focus: fear and guilt. The fear comes from being overwhelmed by the number of steps we see on the way to our “high diving board,” instead of focusing on just a few steps at a time. The guilt comes from not having clear boundaries between our family time and our work time. Both of these are paralyzing, but both can be addressed, at least to some extent, by how we work.
If you are in a similar situation, are some ideas that might help:
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Before you know it, you’ll be doing the things you need to do and feeling much better about where you are and how you’re spending your time.
Contact me if you’d like some help with this, and in the meantime, keep REACHING…