Wait a minute. I know what you are thinking.
You, Sundae, eating an elephant in South Africa?! (Aren´t you a vegetarian? Is that even legal?)
I am not talking about a real elephant, those majestic creatures that graze from Sub-Saharan Africa to Rajasthan, I am talking about that big important project of yours. You know, the one that is weighing on your mind because it´s important to you but feels like you are not investing enough time in it.
As you know, right now, my family and I are in the middle of a major transition from Burkina Faso / Switzerland to settling in our new “home” in South Africa.
Everyone would understand if I needed to take a few months off to “get settled.”
My whole body says, “Hell no!”
Yes, I need to adjust my schedule. But NO – this transition not stopping me. I won´t let it.
And I am not going to let your busy schedule or your own bumpy transition stop you from making progress on what´s most important to you.
You see, the big elephant stands for what you really want.
It is the direction that you are longing to go.
Many of my clients – especially expat spouses – let what is important to them slide to last place when life gets “busy,” “out of the routine,” or “complicated.”
Maybe you are building a house. Maybe you are getting your kids adjusted in a new school. Maybe you are moving country.
I get it. It is not easy.
The truth of the matter is, for you to get what you really want, you will need to find ways to work toward it even in non-ideal times.
Bit by bit, bite by bite.
I know it is tempting to put that big lovely elephant on hold till your move is done, till your kids have started school, till the sea freight arrives.
But there is a way to move forward on what is most important to you, even when things get tricky.
Find out more in this two-minute video right here. (And hope you are not blinded by the South African sun in the process).
So how do you eat an elephant? According to Creighton Abrams, you take one bite at a time.
Small Bites
1. Pick out an elephant from the herd.
- Which elephant are you hungry to take on?
- What is a really big deal to you, but just isn´t getting enough attention in your life?
2. Start carving. Get creative in finding one or two hours a day to nibble on your big project.
- Can you go to bed a little earlier, and set that alarm for an hour before your kids get up?
- Why not buy Play-Doh and work on your project while you child destroys the kitchen table?
- Willing to have an espresso at dinner, instead of a glass of wine, and make a “date” with yourself in the evening to work on your project?
3. Make a commitment.
- Pick one way to squeeze in time for YOU, your project.
- Do this for 5 days straight.
- Email me with the results.
If you’ve been putting off eating your elephant over and over (or maybe you don´t even know what kind of elephant you´d like), we should talk. Read more about how I can help with that elephant and schedule a time for us to to chat.
Here´s to the elephant in the room.
