It's not that important

“Did anybody die?”

It has been over 25 years but this simple phrase from my grandmother stuck with me.

I always have been an A student striving for excellence. Bringing home B was acceptable but C would have been disappointing (aka “you can do better”).

That day I had a C for my English class.

(kind of hilarious to look back at my 15-year struggle with that language throughout grade school and college considering that it is my main language to speak now. Sorry, I digress. Back to the story.)

I shared with my grandma my hesitation to tell parents For the context, she was a WWII survival who grew up in hard times of 1930s, finished only 4 grades, and despite the life challenges became a known tailor.

“Did anybody die?”, she asked.

“No”, I said.

“So, it is not as big of the deal as you think”, she replied.

I get into this trap of importance probably daily; I am almost sure you are experiencing this from time to time too when we get so fixated on something to be done at specific level.

And don’t get me wrong, it is an incredible quality of dedication, loyalty, commitment, integrity, excellence. It is a crucial one for anyone who has ambitious goals and impossible dreams.

It becomes a problem though when we lose sight of the big picture, the bigger why. We get stressed or overwhelmed about missing a deadline that was not realistic to start with. As a result, we spent all weekend finishing that task missing a chance to be present with our family. We think we must attend every single meeting and then question why we feel so burned out and apathetic. We focus on getting an A while completely hating every part of ?the process.

In a way, there is a value in learning how to hold our life as important and not important at the same time. It is an opportunity to see our life is everything and nothing all at once.

Next time you feel pressure rising up, ask yourself: “Is this really that important?” It will help you intentionally choose from a priority and maybe, just maybe reduce unnecessary stress you have been generating.

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This newsletter is my attempt to share the best practices learned, insights gained, and opportunities created. It is a way to keep myself accountable to the big goals creating a ripple effect on thousands of people who look for change but still struggle with “But I don’t know how” and getting in their own way.

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Next week I will be writing about processing feeling and how it blocks you from getting out of your own way in creating the life of your dreams.

P.S. If you are interested in working with me as your coach, reach out via LinkedIn messaging or via email to request a consultation.