What I Do When I Feel Overwhelmed (channel Tom Hanks)

If you have not felt overwhelmed yet, consider yourself lucky. In the entrepreneurial tribe we push and push until the water washes over the top of the bucket. It is almost like we are expected to operate with the water at the brim at all times. When this happens we can feel paralyzed to move forward on anything. I can share that I have felt this way many many – did I say many times.

I get to this place by way of one or more (or a combination) of these drivers: 

• high expectations – of me and and the outcome I desire
• limited resources – as related to the task(s) at hand and my limited skillset
• tight deadlines – either imposed by me (usually) or someone else
• the pressure to succeed – isn’t this in our brain every minute of every day?

I am sure there are a few more I cannot think of but the above outlines a major point I would like to share with you. I (we) are responsible for creating the overwhelmness (made up word I think) we are suffering from. If that is the case, then we have control over reducing that feeling.

Some of you might know that I am a huge movie geek. I recite lines from movies E V E R Y D A Y.  Sorry everyone who has known me for a long time. It probably will not stop.

So here comes a line from Tom Hanks from Castaway that just might help you when you feel overwhelmed – “Tomorrow the sun will rise again; who knows what the tide will bring in?” 

Inevitably, tomorrow will look better than today. I helped manifest today, so tomorrow I can manifest a different start. Tomorrow the issues that freaked me out today might be gone. Tomorrow, the tide might bring solutions to the issues confronting me today. Let me get a great night’s sleep and start again tomorrow. It feels like this overwhelmed feeling can dissipate from a number of angles. 

And to that, I say – maybe today’s challenges are not that big anyway.  Thanks Tom Hanks.