The Desert of Arizona
Sunny 40 Degrees
I feel fortunate that I’m probably NOT going to win too many more Annual People Pleasing Awards.
I used to have quite a winning streak going. And rightfully so. It was really one of the biggest priorities in my life.
I talk all the time about how this people pleasing “character trait” of mine has created complications over the years.
But there are even more side effects that come from this. One of them is that you can turn your life into a pressure cooker if you allow it. (I’ll give you one guess who’s gettin’ cooked!)
Basically, the problem I repeated many times was over promising (for no good reason) and then attempting to deliver.
Like I said, pleasing people was the goal. The problem usually started off with a client asking a question like, “We have this thing to be done and we need it done by XXX date, can you do it?”
Most sane people would have had the guts to say, “No.” But not Super Jason! “Yes man, yes sir, coming sir.”
With each yes, Mr. Jason continued his routine of over committing himself at his own expense.
And the pressure grew.
Some of those promises I delivered on, some I didn’t.
But the whole experience was an uncomfortable way to go through life. Too much self-induced pressure for no good reason.
How do you solve something like this? It’s really actually very simple.
Stop making promises as a way to please others. Especially promises that come at the expense of your sanity or quality of life.
No one is holding a gun to your head to make these promises. And the perceived benefit (you “pleasing” your client) is FAR outweighed by the price you pay.
If you’re going to be in business for the long haul, then you need to treat yourself better. “Do unto yourself as you would do unto others.” Otherwise, your own self-created pressure cooker hell will take you down.
Take your time, enjoy the ride. No one is getting out alive, so there’s really no reason to race to the end.