In this article I’m looking at a quote image dealing with a problem that affects many…
I took that photo of The Flying Scotsman, the famous steam locomotive. There is big demand to see it when it goes on its’ travels, and when I took this on the Bluebell Railway in East Sussex, Apr 19th 2017 – there were big crowds!
As it puffed its’ way past me, I snapped away, and watched as it tooted and disappeared off under the bridge and gone.
Lovely to see, and the huffing and puffing of the famous old locomotive prompted me to put the words over the top –
Are you huffing and puffing but going nowhere?
I look at this question from 2 angles – in some cases it’s where we are feeling constantly unfulfilled because we are so busy doing routine life ‘stuff’ that we never seem to have time to give to our passions, to the things that give us joy.
In other cases, we might have decided to set out on that journey towards a goal, and although we are taking action, it seems that we are spinning our wheels, not actually making any progress – in other words, that huffing and puffing and going nowhere!
It might sound too obvious to say that the solution comes down to a combination of time management and focus, but hey, obvious or not, the solution is in that very combination! As it happens, a lot of self improvement theory is dismissed because it seems too obvious, when in fact it’s not the obvious nature of the theories that’s the problem, more that the theories are not being put into practice!
So, let’s look at how we can tackle that first problem of everyday routines taking up our time that we’d rather spend on our deeper ambitions…
Part of the solution comes in looking at what we *really* have to do versus what we *think* we have to do, or that others tell us we have to do! Just because others tell us it’s so, it doesn’t necessarily make it so!
Then there are good old time management techniques! My favourite way of explaining this is the 1 hour a day technique. That 1 hour a day over a year is 365 hours, which is 10 weeks at 36 hours each. Most people agree that they could really get some things done if they had 10 weeks of free time, but in fact this 10 weeks of free time can be had every year by simply finding 1 hour a day!
1 hour a day might come from watching less TV. It might come from only surfing social media online in set time blocks. It might come from saying ‘no’ to other people. It might come from getting up earlier. 1 hour a day can be found if the motivation is there.
When it comes to the second problem of feeling like we are spinning our wheels – trying really hard, but not making progress…
Well, this can often come down to the difference between being ‘busy’ or being ‘productive’. They are not always the same thing. In fact sometimes, being ‘busy’ can end up being counter productive.
A solution to this can often be found in focus. What is it we are trying to achieve, and why? What does our planning look like? Do we have a long term route in mind, with short term action steps, or are we just trying random things to see what happens?
You can look to the steam engine puffing along to get an idea of this focus – the route is clear, the track is laid out. The timings have been worked out to get from A to B, and over the years the knowledge was gained about how to get the most efficiency from both the engine and the crew working it.
You won’t see much random action going on – it’s all very focused, which is why I knew when the train was expected, because there was a timetable that could be expected to be accurate (mishaps notwithstanding of course!)
So, look to your goals, in whatever area of life that may be – health, wealth, career, lifestyle or relationships. Do you feel like you’re huffing and puffing but not really getting anywhere?
If so, could it be that you could step back, look at what you’re actually doing and why, and then make some changes?
This can switch things so that your huffing, and your puffing, is put to better use, more intentional and directed use. That way you can see some real momentum and progress build.
Try it. It can change your life, it can transform it.
Do let me know what you think – I love the feedback!
‘Til Next Time,
Health & Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. Don’t forget to grab my free video series going over the 8 Step Goal Achievement Formula. It will help stop that huffing/puffing/going nowhere feeling!
