WEBVTT - Embrace the thrashing

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of my Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is from my friend Charlie Gilki's new book,

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<v Speaker 1>Start Finishing, How to Go from Idea to Done. The

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<v Speaker 1>book is out this week. He suggests that we embrace

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<v Speaker 1>the thrashing in order to do our best work. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>what does that mean? Well, let me quote from Charlie.

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<v Speaker 1>He says that we're paradoxical creatures. On the one hand,

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<v Speaker 1>we all want to do our best work. On the

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<v Speaker 1>other hand, we often avoid doing it. This paradox only

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<v Speaker 1>makes sense when we acknowledge that there's a lot happening

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<v Speaker 1>in our inner landscapes that's keeping us from choosing to

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<v Speaker 1>do our best work, and that makes choosing an idea

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<v Speaker 1>that matters tricky. To pick an idea that matters, the

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<v Speaker 1>part of you that wants to thrive and do your

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<v Speaker 1>best work, we'll have to overcome the part of you

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<v Speaker 1>that wants to play at safe, be comfortable, and not

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<v Speaker 1>ruffle any feathers. And so Charlie writes, it's time to

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<v Speaker 1>embrace the thrashing that you're doing. Thrashing, he says, is

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<v Speaker 1>the term I use for this emotional flailing and metalwork

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<v Speaker 1>we do when we don't fully commit to our best work.

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<v Speaker 1>What's really going on is that we're working out our

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<v Speaker 1>own head trash, the fears, imposter syndrome, and sometimes unconscious

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<v Speaker 1>perceptions of our own inadequacies. When we're thrashing, we're like

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<v Speaker 1>the rocking chair that moves a lot but doesn't actually

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<v Speaker 1>get anywhere. The more an idea matters to you, the

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<v Speaker 1>moreal thrash, precisely because it's success or failure is deeply

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<v Speaker 1>important to you. Now. Thrashing in and of itself doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>sound like a particularly pleasant way to spend time, but

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<v Speaker 1>says Charlie, beware of the siren call of the easier idea.

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<v Speaker 1>If you switch to an easier project, you'll end up

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<v Speaker 1>thrashing anyway. You might finish it, but you won't nearly

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<v Speaker 1>as satisfied as if you finish the one you baild on.

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<v Speaker 1>Thrashing is a sign that you're doing something that matters,

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<v Speaker 1>and that you'll need to show up powerfully to get

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<v Speaker 1>it done. Charlie writes, I like this idea of embracing

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<v Speaker 1>the thrashing in general because it gets at a revolutionary idea.

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<v Speaker 1>When it comes to time. When people send me questions,

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<v Speaker 1>many are structured along the lines of how can I

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<v Speaker 1>make this challenging thing easier. Maybe someone wants to wake

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<v Speaker 1>up earlier and start a morning routine, or people are

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<v Speaker 1>looking for tips to get family dinner on the table

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<v Speaker 1>when everyone's hungry, or they're looking to survive plane flights

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<v Speaker 1>with little kids. We want to write that book we've

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<v Speaker 1>been thinking about forever, or we want to learn a language.

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<v Speaker 1>And certainly there are ways to make challenging tasks easier

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<v Speaker 1>or more pleasant, but they're never going to be a

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<v Speaker 1>total walk in the park. You never hear someone who's

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<v Speaker 1>written a book say, Wow, that was so easy. I

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<v Speaker 1>just sat down and wrote it and I didn't have

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<v Speaker 1>to expend much thought or energy at all. Instead, the

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<v Speaker 1>philosophy of embracing the thrashing means that just because something

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<v Speaker 1>is difficult doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. You can

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<v Speaker 1>accept some rough stuff because you know there's a payoff.

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<v Speaker 1>When I've interviewed people who travel frequently overseas with their

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<v Speaker 1>young kids, I've asked for tips on how to make

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<v Speaker 1>this more pleasant, But my favorite quote from one expert was, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I wish there was a way to do that, and

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<v Speaker 1>I love that answer. Her point was that, yes, those

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<v Speaker 1>eight hours in the air might be terrible, but you

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<v Speaker 1>know what it's worth it to travel and to create

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<v Speaker 1>those memories, and to share those memories with your children

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<v Speaker 1>and to make them citizens of the world. A little

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<v Speaker 1>thrashing in this case, maybe a literally thrashing toddler is

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<v Speaker 1>a small price to pay. So if you've got a

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<v Speaker 1>tough project and you find yourself thrashing, try to just

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<v Speaker 1>sit with that idea for a bit. Yes, this thing

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<v Speaker 1>you're trying is challenging, but are probably doing it for

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<v Speaker 1>a reason. As Charlie noted, thrashing is a sign that

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<v Speaker 1>you're doing something that matters. So be brave and march on.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, This is Laura, Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's B the number four then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>Podcast at iHeart media dot com that Before breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I

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<v Speaker 1>look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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