What to do when things aren't going so well

What's NOT going so well?

Last week we talked about celebrating successes and what was going well. Many people wrote back to me to share all types of really cool things.
So, woohoo! Good job everybody!

This week I'd like to flip the script and think about what is not going so well. What might even be going badly? And rather than berate yourself or judge yourself or criticize yourself for things that are going badly, just get curious.

So I'll give you an example. Lately I've noticed that my runs have been really hard. I've been running a much slower pace than I was at this time last year. Over the weekend, my three mile pace was my 35th fastest according to my running app. And I was feeling a little frustrated about it.
I started to think, what is happening?

Why is my running not going as well as it used to?

What I noticed was that when I was enjoying running the most, I was not trying to run fast. I wasn't even really keeping track of my times. I was running for the sake of running. And when I started running for time, I started running less often and also slower!

When I was running for pleasure, I ran MORE often and just naturally got faster over time. But more importantly, I was feeling good. I remembered that the reason I got into running in the first place was because it was a tool for me: I used it either 1) to have time and space to think about a project that I was stuck on OR 2) to get away from a project and think about anything else for a while. And when I was doing that, running was a superpower.

So, why was my running going badly these days??
Because I wasn't using it in the way that works the best for me. I lost track - no pun intended ;)

But this isn't even about success or measurement and especially not about running.

It's about curiosity.
Notice where something in your life feels clunky, bumpy, or filled with friction.

What is happening? What were you doing in the past that was working better? If you're struggling with something that you've never done before, think about the last time you did anything new and how you overcame the initial learning curve. Think about your previous success patterns -
use that information to help you reduce friction in this area.

Practice looking at your struggles with curiosity. Experiment with small changes to see what makes the biggest difference.

And as much as I want to celebrate success, I'm here for the challenges too.

Let me hear about your current challenge by
responding to this message!

Remember, thinking about what you would write is not the same as actually writing, so finish these sentences ON PAPER or in a typed document.

One place that I am currently feeling frustrated or dissatisfied is______________________.

The part that is the most frustrating to me right now is _______________________________.

When this was going more smoothly, I remember that I was _________________________.

One thing that I can experiment with this week is ________________________________.