In my Confidence Catalyst Programme, we are working with Positive Intelligence® to uncover our ‘gremlins.’ Find out which inner saboteurs are holding you back here. This week, I’m looking at the Restless gremlin, and how we can discover techniques for embracing contentment and peace in the current moment. Learn to appreciate the beauty of stillness and cultivate a sense of fulfilment!
The Restless One
Having a Restless gremlin means someone’s rarely at peace or content where they are. Happiness is always one activity away. But being always on the go, and with a million projects, may be a way of hiding from painful feelings or anxieties. Embracing contentment in just one direction or choice can feel like a real challenge.
Rashida struggled with this type of gremlin, constantly in search of greater excitement and finding pleasure in being constantly busy.
Restless seem:
- High energy and vitality – ‘Life is too short!’
- Contagiously enthusiastic – ‘My next big thing has got to be far more exciting!’
- Curious and spontaneous – ‘I don’t want to miss out!’
- Capable of a wide range of activity and pursuits – ‘Why can’t anyone keep up?’
- Easily distracted – ‘Hard things are a waste of precious time; it’s easier to find something new.’
- Disorganised – ‘What’s next?’
Keep On Cooking
When I met her, Rashida spoke of a work history where she’d often kept ‘several pots on the boil.’ She described how she only decided ‘late in the meal’ which she should choose.
Now she’d have to decide which ‘pots should even go on the stove,’ and indeed ‘cook all the way to the end’ if it seemed the right path! Not an easy task when there’s so many high-value potential projects she could see around her. But Rashida could see what embracing contentment by focusing on ‘one course’ earlier in her metaphorical meal might give her.
For people with a Restless gremlin, if something becomes ‘too hard’ or brings up feelings they don’t want to address, they move on quickly. The grass is greener on that other side! Embracing contentment in the here and now can be a challenge. After all, restless indulgence becomes an escape from having to deal with anxiety and pain.
Take Time to Appreciate the View
When asked about her self-judgement, Rashida noticed how infrequently she ‘stopped to smell the roses.’ This observation was inspired by looking out her window towards a garden she forever ‘worked on’ but rarely sat in to enjoy. Doing ‘nothing’ didn’t come easy.
This then provided a further line of enquiry as to why this mattered; how this helped her with embracing contentment. Rashida could even see what a slower pace could provide for the strategic outlook she’d wanted to develop. Rashida came to the next session saying she was feeling more settled about the challenges she’d face ahead.
If This Sounds Familiar …
Ask yourself:
- If you slowed down, what would you feel? What would you see?
- What would happen if you took 10 seconds to really notice the furthest sound around you? Or the furthest view? For the detailed colours and shape?
If you want to learn more about what your saboteurs might be doing to hold you back in your career, keep an eye out for my next round of Confidence Catalyst sessions! Or get in contact for some executive coaching sessions, or a webinar talk.
