Overwhelmed or overloaded?

Many people have been trying to get through to me recently, and it can feel overwhelming.

Some are asking for help, others want to connect, and several more are pitching me their ideas.

I feel bad when I don't reply promptly to people, but I am realising I just can't take it all on. I have my own goals and dreams to accomplish.

Nothing slows me down as much as the pressure I put on myself for 'needing to do more.'

A mentor taught me something years ago that I return to whenever I feel this way:

There's a difference between being overwhelmed and being overloaded.

Being overwhelmed is internally created. It’s psychological. It's mental pressure.

This is when the stress is caused through worry and doubt.

Being overloaded is rooted to the external.

It is more logistical. This is when I've given myself too much to do that I can feasibly take on.

Many of us confuse the two.

I might think I'm burned out from work when really I'm drowning in the anxious thinking I have about my work.

That's a significant difference that also poses a huge opportunity. If I'm worrying about a whole bunch of stuff I can't change (often the case), it also means there's a whole bunch of stuff I can let go.

It might take courage, but it's all I can do. And when I stop tolerating stressful thoughts, I feel so much better.

It's like I've just given myself the keys to a boat to a secret island.

If you feel stressed right now, are you overwhelmed or overloaded?

If it's an 'overloaded' issue, then it's time to cut some things out of your life. You can't logistically juggle it.

Be brave and drop it.

If you're overwhelmed, let go of the heavy thinking.

Realise that much of life is out of your control. We overthink only because we believe we CAN control things we can't. That's the trap.

Both require clarity about what actually matters to you in your life.

Most people have no idea what really, really matters most.

And that's where most people get stuck. They don't know what matters most and they spread themselves thin, becoming both overwhelmed AND overloaded.

If you're nodding along to this, my Purpose Statement System course might be exactly what you need.

It gives you a clear framework to identify what matters most at a deeply personal level. So you stop second-guessing your priorities and start saying no to the right things.

At the end, you'll have a statement you can return to every day that clarifies who you help, how and why you help them and what impact this has on the world.

When you know what you're fighting for, you'll know what to prioritise, and energy will come to you with ease.

This course starts with identifying what you can't tolerate more than most things (a critical secret of understanding your main purpose that most courses miss) This reveals what you're genuinely meant to build around.

I'm running a New Year Clarity Sale today until 3pm ET Saturday Jan 10th. The course is $87 (down from $197) for a couple of days, and I won't make this available again for many weeks.

Get the Purpose Statement System here.

Toodles,

Alex