What must be done

Last Wednesday I made an error in a project that would require me to redo several components of it.

Much to my pleasant surprise, I responded to this issue much better compared to the past:

Though my first thought was still, “dang, this sucks”, my focus quickly shifted to responding to the problem — writing down a list of what had to be redone, and slowly working through that list.

This situation reminded me of recent observations made during the 5-mile morning runs I recently started. Early in these runs, especially if I’m tired, I’ll dread the remaining distance I have to cover. I’ll briefly try to negotiate my way out of finishing the run, before eventually reaffirming that I’m going to finish the run no matter what.

Interestingly, after making this declaration much of the dread dissipates. Something very powerful and clarifying happens when you decide that there is no other way out and the only way is forward. It becomes substantially easier to withdraw energy from lamenting about the situation, and to focus all of it on doing what needs to be done.

As emotional creatures it’s only natural to be upset when things go wrong. But it’s also fair to say that the faster we can transition from reacting to a roadblock to responding to it, the better off we probably are.

When an issue arises, ask yourself the essential practical question: “What must be done?”

The sooner you have a clear answer, the sooner you can throw the full weight of your time and attention towards solving your problem without further delay.