Your Pursuit Is Not Pointless
Over the last few days, I found myself treading in a “this is pointless” moment—this is a reference to one of my favorite Jack Butcher illustrations for his company Visualize Value. To be honest, I wasn’t really feeling my Pursuit is pointless–it was more a feeling of frustration.
I know the Pursuit is about the experience and does not have a timeline–things will happen when they are meant to happen, but that doesn’t mean my human emotions don’t get the best of me from time to time. As I reflected on The Daily Notes, On Our PRST, my YouTube channel–where I found myself is not where I thought I should be:
Traction in terms of subscribers and downloads had plateaued.
Reach and engagement on social channels was down.
A few ideas came up short and I’ve been putting up bricks on Shoot Your Shot Thursday with my cold outreach to potential podcast guests.
Seeing others catch waves while I sit waiting for a good set to come my way (last night was a new episode of 100 Foot Wave).
I don’t usually pay attention to these metrics because they don’t matter—they are not why I do what I do. But again, human emotions get the best of all of us from time to time and that is ok.
What’s not ok is letting them keep you down for long.
Thankfully, I recognized quickly where my energy was going and how I was feeling, which was important in keeping me from actually believing my Pursuit was becoming “pointless”. I was also fortunate enough to talk with a couple of close friends yesterday, voice my frustrations and at the same time share how I knew what I was feeling was silly, and talk through some adjustments and tweaks to make to the game plan.
My goal is not to make the Daily Notes about me—although they really are reminders for me just as much as I hope they resonate with you. But, I felt like a little transparency and honesty about my Pursuit might be helpful for yours. I might be writing, talking, and sharing how you can navigate your Pursuit, connect your spirit, mind, body, and money, and live your authentic life, but I’m right there alongside you with navigating my own.
So, yes you are allowed to have those feelings–you won’t be able to escape them. However, you do not have to let those feelings turn into doubts, leading you away from your Pursuit.
Here are a few ways to refocus yourself quickly when you find yourself in a moment of “this is pointless”:
Develop a strong sense of self-awareness. Through journaling, meditation, or any other way you can connect to your spirit and mind, improve your self-awareness so you can quickly identify where your energy is being directed, the emotions you are feeling, and begin to bring yourself back to your Pursuit. Too many don’t recognize how they are feeling and why and stay in the lower energy of “this is pointless” for too long.
Surround your Self with great people. I would have been able to work through my feelings and emotions alone, but it was easier because I had people I could trust that I could confide in, allow my feelings to get out and not keep them trapped inside, and talk through what I could be doing differently that might jump-start the next phase of my Pursuit. It’s important to surround your Self with people who share your vision, believe in you, will listen, and speak the truth to you as well.
Remember what passion means. If what you’re doing is your passion, remember it’s something you would do for free. Who cares how long it takes, what metrics say, and where you are in your Pursuit? You are doing something you love and would do for free so take away the pressure of reaching an arbitrary status by a randomly picked date.
Be grateful. Be grateful for whatever you have built at that moment. Be grateful for the opportunity to do what you’re doing. Be grateful that you know what you’re doing. Be grateful for the opportunity to pursue your authentic life. Expressing gratitude will always refocus you on the bigger picture and your why–it’s a cheat code.
Express joy. If you’re benchmarking your progress against your friends, strangers on the internet, or anyone else, be happy for those up riding their wave. I always feel better when I have the opportunity to shout out a friend, highlight a milestone someone hits, or even send a private message celebrating another’s success. Take the focus off your Self and be joyful for others—that energy is contagious and the Universe eventually balances out.
Create a swipe file. If you’re a Creator or are in a position to receive positive feedback from other people, create a place to store those comments. Revisit the support you’ve received in the past and remember that for every kind word you have received, there are multiples of people who benefit and appreciate your work that never say anything. You’re not doing the work for the comments but it is nice to know you’re making an impact–so save those comments and revisit them when needed.
You might have noticed I’ve written about the “this is pointless” moment in the past tense–that’s because that moment is over.
I recognized my feelings
I got them out in my journal.
I did not allow myself to sit in that energy for long.
I consulted, confided, and strategized with a couple of friends.
I identified some areas I could improve in delivery and reducing confusion in my messaging.
I refocused and got reinvigorated for my Pursuit because it is not pointless and there is no stopping for me–even if all of the subscribers left, downloads stalled, and no one watched YouTube, I’d still be doing the things I love and talking about the impact of connecting your spirit, mind, body, and money and pursuing your authentic life.
When most people hit that moment of “this is pointless” they stay down in the lower energy and eventually give up. The next time you find your Self in that place, recognize it, and begin to do what you need to do to work through the feelings—remember your why.
Your Pursuit is not pointless.
See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,
JC
