Does it feel like you are tromping through the mud lately?  Life a little arduous?  Heavier lifting than usual?  One thing that helps me during times like that is to remember to look up.  Pause and look up.  And breathe.  Take a minute, as my friend Mary Ann often says.  When lists are long, and filled with items I may not always enjoy doing, and I am grinding them out, it is important for me to do this.  Pause and look up.

Over the past few months as I have been in the process of updating my website, not a favorite thing to do, but important.  Gratefully I have had some terrific support.  I asked for help.  The other important step I took was to clear my emotions about the process.  The fact that I didn't enjoy the process meant that I likely had some emotions tied to it.  And while I am in the process of grinding it out, head down and plowing through, I can miss an emotional reaction that I am having.  

When I miss acknowledging an emotional reaction, it becomes difficult to identify it and clear it.  Clearing the emotion allows me to be in a much better space to create.  Create off a clean slate.  Which will likely result in a better outcome. This is an important part of the process we teach in our Managing Corporate Change© workshop. Clearing emotions before creating the outcome you want.  And then requesting help needed to accomplish the next big task or idea.  

Recently we were on vacation where there were some terrific hiking trails.  One that we choose was quite muddy and slick so we dubbed it the mud hike.  Which included tromping through the mud, looking down mostly to make sure our footing was secured and using a walking stick to help provide support along the way.  It was scary at some points (especially for me and my knees that have endured five surgeries) so pausing along the way was important.  

Though at times we wanted to turn back, we plowed through.  It was well worth it, as the scenery was beautiful, the sense of accomplishment gratifying, and the memories lasting.  If you are out there grinding it out right now...don't forget to look up!  Pause and take a breath, acknowledge if you have any emotions that need clearing and ask for help if you need it.  So you can move forward and create the results you want!