The world is spinning at a dizzying pace, and if we are not careful, we will thoughtlessly add to our list of “must dos” all those things we think we ‘need’ or ‘have’ to do in order to maintain appearances. Then our schedule becomes nightmarish, and when things don’t go as smoothly as we’d like, we promise ourselves that the next time we’ll say no or work a little harder, faster, or better. We don’t consider cutting anything out of our list because, we assure ourselves, “It’s all important!”
So…we get up a little earlier, go to bed a little later, shortchange ourselves or shortchange someone important to us.
When the inevitable happens, we blame ourselves because we can’t run faster than a speeding bullet, aren’t more powerful than a locomotive, and don’t leap tall buildings in a single bound! As much as we’d like to be Superwoman, we can’t! Our overburdened schedule makes our stress levels rise even higher, and the resulting anxieties and frustrations exact a serious price on us and those around us.
Over-commitment is a form of addiction, as potentially lethal as any other addiction. We need to face facts:
The truth is that we’re trying to do too much. The best juggler can only juggle so many balls in the air before they all come crashing down. If we don’t learn the juggler’s lesson, our world comes crashing down.
Granted, this is a tough lesson to learn. Again and again, we catch ourselves overdoing.
Year after year, we have heard working women’s frustrations, and we have helped them deal with massive internal conflicts. Both society and individuals struggle with countless expectations, too much to do in too little time, and the fact that they receive little of the support or recognition they want—and deserve.
Is it any wonder that the self-help books currently available don’t work well in relieving the pressures working women routinely face?
As executive and business coaches, we began our own journey to investigate the factors that are causing all the strain, stress, and frustration among generations of very bright and articulate women. What we discovered serves as the backbone for this book, and for the solutions, strategies, and essential tools we outline here. Our goal is to help women make their lives easier, richer, happier, and saner.
Source: Barbara A. McEwen: When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women--Workbook Edition (paperback)
John Agno: When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women (ebook)
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