Picking up the pieces: Imperfect Action
We all get overwhelmed. Decisions, choices, and change, which are all constant, provide a great deal of anxiety for many people. How do we sort through a change? How do we know if something is the “right” choice? Where do we begin in the process? Sometimes indecision strikes with minor issues such as where to go for dinner, what to order on a menu, or what clothes to wear. But often the more burdensome, paralyzing, indecision comes from greater issues like relationships, career, academics, health, housing decisions and getting organized.
I’m an over-analyzer. Great for my profession, but sometimes it gets in the way of my own forward movement. Sometimes I get stuck in the minutia. There are often so many pieces to the puzzle I’m looking at or trying to solve. I’ve always been this way. I remember my mother giving me advice about this issue when I was in high school. I remember it was during a time when I was feeling overwhelmed, emotional, frantic, and probably wasn’t much of a joy to be around. I may not have thought she was wise to say it at the time, but have come to appreciate her advice greatly over the years. She said, “Jenny, start in a corner and work your way out.”
More than likely her advice was literal because more than likely my room was a mess, but I now see the literal and figurative value of this statement. She was encouraging me to take “imperfect action.” Start somewhere, it doesn’t have to be the “right” somewhere, it just has to be a step forward. When we get overwhelmed by a situation it is usually because we have a hard time sorting through what is the most relevant. Everything seems pertinent. All pieces seem to cry for priority. Or perhaps we look at one piece to start with, but then that piece ties to another piece, which ties to the next piece and before we know it we are back to a place of inaction.
The first step to taking imperfect action is to recognize you are paralyzed by indecision. This type of “stuck-ness” can manifest as reluctance, avoidance, irritability, defensiveness, depression, and anxiety. Take a moment right now and consider this: Is there anything in your life or any area in your life where you are experiencing this paralysis of analysis? This stuck feeling?
The next step, take SOME action. It doesn’t have to be huge, it doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does have to happen. Pick up SOME piece of the puzzle. You will be surprised by how good it feels to take action and how forward movement only needs a small catalyst.