Wipeout

I'm going to do you a favor and introduce you to a one-word song. Those of us "of a certain age" will remember this lively 60's instrumental rock hit, which opens with infectious laughter and a single, compelling word.

Go ahead. Give it a listen.

The Surfaris never made much impact beyond this single classic piece, but the one word describes how I have felt for the past two months.

After a busy year of delivering workshops, writing and launching a book, re-branding, and turning 65, by the time November rolled around, I was wiped out. Exhausted. Out of gas (or, if you drive an EV, out of charge).

Oh, and also welcoming our first grandchild into the world. I mean, c'mon. Talk about cuteness overload (and we have another granddaughter on the way in a few weeks!)

(of course, the new parents are learning the meaning of the term "wiped out" in a much deeper way!)

I can't recall ever feeling quite as depleted as I have at the end of this past year, so I let myself do what is very difficult for a solopreneur to do: I just stopped.

It was time for a long recharge.

I slept - a lot. I read and watched football and movies. I spent a bunch of time with family. I went out on the limb of faith and told myself, "the work will be there in 2024, so shut up and shut down."

Can I let you in on something that's a little scary? When your livelihood is your brain and your heart and your effort, and you're Running On Empty (more classic rock!), you begin to fear - am I washed up?

I wondered: have I become a dead man walking? Will it (the creativity, energy, and drive) come back if I let go and back off?

In another single word: Yes. I'm feeling Alive Again <-(c'mon, click it - what's better on a New Year's Day than Dick Clark and Chicago?)

I'm glad to say, on this first day of 2024, that I'm feeling rejuvenated. And also, after a year of intense tactical execution, I'm regaining perspective and vision. Big ideas. Fresh energy.

You know - clarity.

And let me put in a plug for a book that's been helping me balance the big with the incremental. Atomic Habits, by James Clear. I've tended to exhaust myself with all-or-nothing thinking, which leads to a series of failure loops. The simple but profound way that this book explains the power of small habits to implement change has been very helpful for me. Even an old-timer like me can learn new tricks!

Steve Woodruff is the author of two books about communication clarity - Clarity Wins, and The Point.