Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of my Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is from my friend Charlie Gilki's new book,
Speaker 1: Start Finishing, How to Go from Idea to Done. The
Speaker 1: book is out this week. He suggests that we embrace
Speaker 1: the thrashing in order to do our best work. Now,
Speaker 1: what does that mean? Well, let me quote from Charlie.
Speaker 1: He says that we're paradoxical creatures. On the one hand,
Speaker 1: we all want to do our best work. On the
Speaker 1: other hand, we often avoid doing it. This paradox only
Speaker 1: makes sense when we acknowledge that there's a lot happening
Speaker 1: in our inner landscapes that's keeping us from choosing to
Speaker 1: do our best work, and that makes choosing an idea
Speaker 1: that matters tricky. To pick an idea that matters, the
Speaker 1: part of you that wants to thrive and do your
Speaker 1: best work, we'll have to overcome the part of you
Speaker 1: that wants to play at safe, be comfortable, and not
Speaker 1: ruffle any feathers. And so Charlie writes, it's time to
Speaker 1: embrace the thrashing that you're doing. Thrashing, he says, is
Speaker 1: the term I use for this emotional flailing and metalwork
Speaker 1: we do when we don't fully commit to our best work.
Speaker 1: What's really going on is that we're working out our
Speaker 1: own head trash, the fears, imposter syndrome, and sometimes unconscious
Speaker 1: perceptions of our own inadequacies. When we're thrashing, we're like
Speaker 1: the rocking chair that moves a lot but doesn't actually
Speaker 1: get anywhere. The more an idea matters to you, the
Speaker 1: moreal thrash, precisely because it's success or failure is deeply
Speaker 1: important to you. Now. Thrashing in and of itself doesn't
Speaker 1: sound like a particularly pleasant way to spend time, but
Speaker 1: says Charlie, beware of the siren call of the easier idea.
Speaker 1: If you switch to an easier project, you'll end up
Speaker 1: thrashing anyway. You might finish it, but you won't nearly
Speaker 1: as satisfied as if you finish the one you baild on.
Speaker 1: Thrashing is a sign that you're doing something that matters,
Speaker 1: and that you'll need to show up powerfully to get
Speaker 1: it done. Charlie writes, I like this idea of embracing
Speaker 1: the thrashing in general because it gets at a revolutionary idea.
Speaker 1: When it comes to time. When people send me questions,
Speaker 1: many are structured along the lines of how can I
Speaker 1: make this challenging thing easier. Maybe someone wants to wake
Speaker 1: up earlier and start a morning routine, or people are
Speaker 1: looking for tips to get family dinner on the table
Speaker 1: when everyone's hungry, or they're looking to survive plane flights
Speaker 1: with little kids. We want to write that book we've
Speaker 1: been thinking about forever, or we want to learn a language.
Speaker 1: And certainly there are ways to make challenging tasks easier
Speaker 1: or more pleasant, but they're never going to be a
Speaker 1: total walk in the park. You never hear someone who's
Speaker 1: written a book say, Wow, that was so easy. I
Speaker 1: just sat down and wrote it and I didn't have
Speaker 1: to expend much thought or energy at all. Instead, the
Speaker 1: philosophy of embracing the thrashing means that just because something
Speaker 1: is difficult doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. You can
Speaker 1: accept some rough stuff because you know there's a payoff.
Speaker 1: When I've interviewed people who travel frequently overseas with their
Speaker 1: young kids, I've asked for tips on how to make
Speaker 1: this more pleasant, But my favorite quote from one expert was, yeah,
Speaker 1: I wish there was a way to do that, and
Speaker 1: I love that answer. Her point was that, yes, those
Speaker 1: eight hours in the air might be terrible, but you
Speaker 1: know what it's worth it to travel and to create
Speaker 1: those memories, and to share those memories with your children
Speaker 1: and to make them citizens of the world. A little
Speaker 1: thrashing in this case, maybe a literally thrashing toddler is
Speaker 1: a small price to pay. So if you've got a
Speaker 1: tough project and you find yourself thrashing, try to just
Speaker 1: sit with that idea for a bit. Yes, this thing
Speaker 1: you're trying is challenging, but are probably doing it for
Speaker 1: a reason. As Charlie noted, thrashing is a sign that
Speaker 1: you're doing something that matters. So be brave and march on.
Speaker 1: In the meantime, This is Laura, Thanks for listening, and
Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod
Speaker 1: that's B the number four then Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: Podcast at iHeart media dot com that Before breakfast is
Speaker 1: spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I
Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a
Speaker 1: production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I
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