Do you feel like you're pushing water uphill?

I do.

Most days I'm running around like the proverbial headless chicken.

This morning started at 7am with an hour's tennis lesson before work. A risky business because it involves leaving our sixteen year old son at home to get up, get breakfast and get to school on his own. All challenges individually, but a triple-header? A significant stretch.

And so it was we arrived home to a pile of washing-up and a son. Now late.

"Right." I shrieked. "Get in the car. I'll have to run you in." We got in the car. I ran him in. "I could've cycled." He muttered.

He could.

Yes he could.

And he would have been late.

And he would probably have forfeit his ticket to Prom (if you're late too often you lose your place, and he's already on the naughty list).

And he would have learned (maybe) not to make being late a habit.

And that would have been a good thing.

So why did I do it? Why make myself the safety net? Why stress myself out doing something I arguably didn't need to do and that didn't add value, in fact precisely the opposite.

Am I pushing water uphill? Or making a difference?

School run finished, large coffee in hand, I was all set for a busy day juggling meetings, plans, ideas, projects, conversations and dog walks.

It's a lot. But I like that, it feels good. To be doing. Definitely my comfort zone. But with all this busyness, am I'm actually making a difference, or being busy for the sake of it?

Over the years, rather than plunging into projects and activations headfirst, I've learned to challenge myself to think carefully about how I can add value. I'll be the first to admit I'm not always successful and the drive to do wins (the school run example a classic fail). But as time has gone by I've got better at slowing down; listening and collaborating, rather than rushing full-tilt into delivery.

My advice? To myself as much as anyone else, when I'm about to get stuck into doing without thinking.

I take a breath and ask myself what am I doing it for and why. And if the answer comes back, "actually I don't know." Then it's time to stop and reflect.

Don't waste time trying push water uphill. Go with the flow.

#storytelling #culture #communication #employeeengagement #purpose #planning #leadership

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Louisa Houghton is a storyteller and communications professional who specialises in creating purposeful, authentic content that 'does what it says on the tin'. She's been writing her blog, Chickens in a Box , about life as a working mum, since 2005. Louisa is a firm believer that you can find the extraordinary everywhere and finds magic in the least likely places. Her stories are designed to entertain as much as they educate, always with a kernel of insight at their heart.

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