Spring Theory
We are better than one month into spring and ten little, bare feet love to be outside scurrying around in the yard. All those feet constantly moving about is hard on our grass. Although I do not need a perfectly manicured yard, I do want a healthy lawn for our collective enjoyment year after year.
The same thing happens every year. A couple of weeks before I apply fertilizer, I announce my intentions. Queue the desperate plea from each child not to go through with my plan! The window of opportunity arrives, and I get up early enough to spread fertilizer over the entire yard. Queue the weeping and gnashing of teeth! The tractor and broadcast spreader get put away, and we wait for the rain. Each day between the fertilizer application and the first rainstorm, each child pokes, prods, and nags to see if either a unique miracle has made the yard safe to traverse again or if I will break under the pressure. After the rain washes the surface level contaminants off the grass, – please read *hands are safe to be in the mouth again* - we return to blissful play outside.
Questions to Ponder
This scenario is a perfect example of what I call spring theory. Think about it, a spring without any force applied to it is very content to do nothing in response. As you start to stretch the spring, it starts to resist your effort. More tension always equates to more resistance. If too much tension is applied, the spring yields and becomes permanently deformed. If the tension is released before yielding, it returns to its normal state.
Perhaps you are experiencing spring-like stretching scenario(s). The list below are some common examples that I see stretching people.
Marriage/relational conflict
Money mismanagement
Misbehaving kids
Malfunctioning machines/appliances
Business mismanagement/downturns
Go back to either the example of my kids or the example of the spring for a moment. Once the root cause of the problem or stress is addressed, things regulate back to normal! If you are curious, the following list are some potential root causes to the scenarios presented above.
Lack of shared dreams and vision (communication).
Lack of clear financial plans (debt elimination/savings/spending)
Lack of clear boundaries and consequences (expectations)
Lack of proper maintenance schedules (preplanning)
Lack of contingency plans (diversification/business planning)
If the root causes are not addressed, you will emotionally break. It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when. Would you do me a favor and evaluate the following questions?
What areas of your life are you experiencing a significant amount of stress?
What do you believe are the root causes of the significant stressors?
What action plans do you need to address the root causes?
Who do you know that can help you identify root causes and develop action plans, if you require assistance?
To relaxing your major stressors!
P.S. All clients that I have worked with have shared that one of the best things about working with me is that I served as an unbiased sounding board to build sustainable and actionable plans that work for their life. If you need help, don’t be ashamed or afraid to ask for help! Let me guide YOU to become the change agent YOU want to be.
P.P.S. I hope you all were watching the news. Student loan collections/repayments have resumed. Get your plan put in place today so you don’t fall behind. If you need help, send me a message.