F*ck the Grind, There is Another Way

What is the grind?

The grind is the way that we’ve learned to live our lives. It’s not necessarily what serves us best, or what honors how we are wired as humans. The grind has been our conditioning. Work harder and longer and deliver faster, bigger and better. Give your blood, sweat and tears and ONLY THEN can you reap the rewards and not a moment sooner. 

Like a pot of steeping tea, we have been infused with the belief system that there is only one way to get things done and one kind of way to define success. This is so deeply embedded and reinforced in every place that untangling ourselves feels more difficult than just continuing the grind. 

As a result, our authenticity is also at stake – because we are not all wired the same way – to get the best and most creative thinking out of our beautiful minds and hearts. I don’t have to tell you that the “norm” that’s been created is not sustainable – but somehow so many people are stuck in believing it is. 

So, if we are all doing things the same way, in the same stressed out energy, how could we possibly be tapping into our magic to create magical things?

If not the grind, what then?

There is always another way to do things. There is always a way to honor what works best for you. But the FIRST step is to identify what is it that’s not working for you. 

The first step is to stop and question the HOW you are getting things done. Inquire really and truly by what rules are you living your life?

Consider this – how were you going about your days when you got back from your last vacation? What new patterns and behaviors did you experiment with? Then what happened? When did it start slipping? What behavior patterns took back over?

Here are some other questions to consider for reflection:

  • What about your ‘how’ isn’t working?
  • What depletes your energy? 
  • What could be possible if you did 5% less each day?
  • What fear is propelling you into overdrive? 
  • If you created your own way, what would that look like? 
  • What voices do you hear when you consider the notion of slowing down, and what are they saying to you?

Whatever it is that you need to honor your own flow – your own way of doing things – your own creativity cycles – start small. 

If what works best for you is starting your day later (because you’re not a morning person) – then see what happens if you set your clock 15 minutes later. If you need more time to rejuvenate at the end of your work day, schedule a personal activity to hold yourself accountable to hold your boundaries just a little bit more. 

When you choose what works for you – your own authenticity – in small and big ways, you are choosing to let the hold of the grind lose its grip on you. 

What can you expect?

When you start to question the grind, the machine, the status quo and when you start to wonder if there is another way to live this life…you might start to get really uncomfortable. You may start to have a lot of questions. Let it come, sit with the discomfort. Observe what changes within you. What changes in who you are being? How do you interact? 

Expect an opening to what else is possible.

So yea, most definitely, F*ck the grind, because I’m living proof there is another way.

For more on this topic, listen to this Feisty on Friday episode (originally on IG Live) here.

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