I was like a pressure cooker maxing out... I'd kept on going. I'd slogged my guts out and felt as if I wasn't getting anywhere. I had worked long and hard, not had enough sleep and it felt that life was always accelerating, forcing me to do more and more, faster and faster.
I suspect you probably know exactly what I mean.
I think the pressure had been building for many months! This year, I feel as if I have worked my little socks off to take my precious business to the next level - and I'm not quite there yet!
If we were rewarded in proportion to the hours, heart and soul we put into our work, most of us would surely be sitting on a million bucks right now!
I bet you've had your fair share of challenges as well. What are YOU dealing with? What is stressful about your life right now? What is taking your attention or demanding your energy, I wonder?
Let's face it - we are ALL dealing with stuff. Every single one of us. I know this because one of the things I do on a daily basis is listen to people.
You only have to scratch the surface to discover that pretty much everyone you know is dealing with some kind of challenge. Here are just a few of the things that my own circle is dealing with, in no particular order...
Marriage difficulties
Grief
Chronic insomnia
Cancer
Loneliness
Debilitating periods
Feeling like a failure
Chronic stress
Parkinson's disease
The list goes on... !
Right now, as I sit here writing to you, I can't take away your challenges. I can't offer you a magic pill to melt away the health problem you might be grappling with, nor can I dampen the grief you might be living with. I can't magic away your money worries or make your toxic boss disappear in a puff of smoke. I can't fix your relationship, un-mood your moody teen or do a supernanny on your endlessly tantrumming toddler.
But I CAN do this: I can assure you that we're all in this together. You're not alone. And guess what? That means that you don't have to deal with it all by yourself. Of course, this doesn't mean you should dump all your problems on everyone you meet, but you ARE allowed to reach out and say;
"Help. I'm fed up. Please can I talk?"
This is what I did when the pressure came to a head last week. I told a couple of friends I trusted - and my mum (of course):
"I'm done with this and I'm bl**dy fed up!"
One listened and acknowledged me - "Yes, this is tough!" she said! And then sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers
One listened and told me she loved me and it would all be alright
One listened and told me I was brilliant
One listened and connected me with a great business contact
And so, aided with a boost from my friends and family, I got on with it. I got on with putting my own sh1t aside and helping my wonderful clients. I got on with marketing my programme for coaches and I got on with building my business.
And I got on with being mum, making soup and sandwiches and washing clothes and buying presents for birthday parties and taxi-ing and reading bedtime stories!
Just as YOU get on with it. Because you simply have to, don't you? And you will get through it, because you're even stronger than you think and even smarter than you give yourself credit for.
However, YOU TOO are allowed to let down your guard and reach out. Because we all need to be heard and perhaps even have a good cry. Think of it the way a tropical thunderstorm clears the air and lifts the oppression of a hot and humid day. Talking it out - and being listened to - will help you to reset.
Talking won't magically resolve everything and it won't mean that things will immediately get better. But it will release the pressure and top up your reserves, so that you can face the next day with renewed vigour and possibly even a little bit more perspective.
We're all grown ups and we have to get on with life with all its ups and downs. But we don't have to do it alone. So my message to you this week is simple..
Reach out, talk it out ... and then get on with it!