Burst of Energy, July 4th

I have been a runner since my early 20s and I have always considered it an active rest– I knew my body was moving, but my mind was able to wander and believe it or not, the time spent was very relaxing. But just when I’d experience the runner’s high (that burst of effortless energy that made me think I could run cross country like Forrest Gump) I’d overthink the run, experience sudden exhaustion, and have to call it a day. It’s sort of like when I wake up ready to tackle a massive cleaning job and get through one drawer before I become engrossed with some old photos and completely bail on the project. (Ooo! Squirrel!) Or I commit to weeding out my entire database of contacts and just end up carefully scrolling from M through T.

My parents have called this scenario “Having Big Eyes,” an expression much like biting off more than you can chew. (This is not exactly like trying to eat an elephant! For tips on that, check out my post from June 1st, “How To Eat An Elephant.”) This was true for me when I was younger, especially regarding food.

I’d be the one loading up my plate at a buffet, to only make it through one beautifully deviled egg, six bites of a perfectly charred hot dog, half of a crispy chicken strip, and one quarter of the stack of adorable mini pancakes that I had just had to have. I guess like many of you I get caught up in the “I’m gonna do a month’s worth of cleaning in one single Saturday scenario” or the “Mmm I’ll try one of everything today” or the run of the mill Overachiever Syndrome. I often forget that some tasks require a steady stream of effort and not just a sudden burst of energy at the beginning.

I recently attended my first work conference, and it was terrific. I was so glad to be live and in person with so many (vaxxed) folks. Having been out of work for so long and of course out of practice regarding pressing the flesh with social networking, I was amazed that I was able to ease right back into small talk and optimistic business banter. I met a whole bunch of new people, scribbled furious notes, handed out my snazzy new cards along with a memorable company keepsake, and LinkedIn everyone I met. My signature move is to follow up by the following week, proving that I will be staying in touch. All the newbies are then added to my database and my marketing list, and I’ve vowed to keep up this practice for every conference I attend.

As luck would have it, I brought in a new piece of business on the final day of my trip. (Yay!) So my plans to furiously type in all the contacts got completely derailed. And now that it’s a few days later, I find myself immersed in the deal and staring blankly at the cards, trying desperately to tap back into my commitment to input, track and follow up. My burst of energy was zapped when I changed gears and had to reallocate my attention.

This is sort of like my quest to author a book. I was always more of a Little Black Book kind of writer; I’d pick a restaurant, highlight some features, focus on the winning dish, and try to wrap it all up with a witty final line. So when I attempted to write a novel, I ended up with a ton of short stories that each stood alone. Thinking that I needed to weave them together to achieve my goal of completing a novel, I spent the better part of a year tying the ideas and creating joiners and connecting paragraphs and basically screwing up my entire project! But I finally smartened up and pulled them apart, recreating the original format. Both the singular story idea and the snappy restaurant format flow so naturally for me. So why mess with my innate signature style? I think the burst of energy I feel as a writer perfectly follows the arc of the creative surge– I can successfully complete a story during that “writer’s high,” and it’s a formula that’s worked for me for years.

I’ve learned that when I experience a great burst of energy to do something, I try to maximize that period of time by giving my complete focus to the task, especially writing. And just like a great display of fireworks, I can appreciate the oohs and aahs of my own work, and especially the finale. (Dare I say I give the same attention to the buffet table with a keen focus on dessert, but alas, it is true.) Personally, I like to end my show of words with with a fabulous last blast of readable thunder, but today I will rely on a great burst of energy instead. Happy 4th of July!!