Unpopular opinion: Being overwhelmed is a choice.
I’m so overwhelmed I don’t even know where to start!
Have you ever said those words?
I know I have.
When you feel like you’ve got 7 million things to do and you want to make sure everything is done properly …
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
What do I do? Where do I begin? How do I even get started?
You know what often happens …
You remain paralyzed.
Stuck.
Firmly entrenched in inaction.
Who would actively choose that?
You would.
I would.
We all do it at some point.
Being overwhelmed is nothing more than lacking clarity.
Everyone has a lot on their plate.
Some people enjoy having a full plate.
You feel overwhelmed when you lack clarity on the one or two things that you need to get done.
Let’s use nutrition as an example.
I often get messages to the effects of … “I want to lose weight and I know I need to eat better but there’s so much information out there and it’s overwhelming so I don’t even know where to start.”
First of all, stop looking for more information.
You have everything you need right now to get started.
More information doesn’t equal more action.
Second, if you know you need to eat better … then start eating better.
“But I don’t know where to start.”
Sure you do.
You probably know if your food quality sucks.
You probably know if you’re not eating veggies.
You probably know if you’re low on protein.
You probably know if you order Uber Eats too often.
You probably know if you drink too much.
So pick one thing to work on and get started.
The reason you feel overwhelmed is because you’re thinking about ALL the things that you want to change.
Instead of prioritizing one or two.
Which is a choice.
Change is difficult.
It’s often met with resistance.
Most prefer the certainty of misery to the misery of uncertainty.
So let’s rephrase this statement …
It’s not: I’m so overwhelmed, I don’t even know where to start.
It’s actually: I’m choosing to remain overwhelmed SO THAT I don’t have to start.
You are subconsciously justifying your lack of action by choosing to remain overwhelmed.
Instead of seeking clarity and simplifying your priorities … you continue to focus on all the things all the time, which leaves you paralyzed.
You know where to start, you’re simply choosing to avoid the only thing that will actually make a difference.
Action.
Any action will move the needle.
It’ll either allow you to make progress or it will illuminate the adjustments that need to be made so that you can eventually make progress.
For example, I have people asking me … “Mike, I looked at two different macro calculators online and one said I should eat 1700 calories and the other said 2100 calories … where should I start?”
Honest answer: It doesn’t fuckin matter.
Just start.
Pick a shoulder and go.
Ugh, it’s so overwhelming to have two options!
Umm, no it’s not. Being overwhelmed by that is a choice.
You could simply start eating one or the other and you’ll either feel great and make progress or you won’t and you can adjust.
But you won’t know until you DO.
Your brain has creative ways to keep you stuck.
It wants you to remain in your comfort zone.
Try to catch yourself when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Am I actually overwhelmed or am I just choosing to focus on a million things that aren’t that important?
What are the 1 or 2 things that I can DO that will actually move me forward.
You don’t need to know the perfect place to start.
You just need to start.
Actions reveal answers.
The reason I love our 1 on 1 clients so much is because they definitively drew a line in the sand.
They said … I’m sick of trying to figure this out on my own and I’m tired of sabotaging myself.
They had a high level of self awareness of these patterns that kept them stuck and rather than remaining on the same hamster wheel … they made a change.
They asked for help.
And then we insert the right plan for them and guess what …
No more overwhelm.
No more frustration.
Just straight results.
Coach Dani literally just sent me a text screenshot from one of her clients that said “I can’t believe how everything is suddenly making so much sense.”
It makes sense because she took action.
She made a change.
She was overwhelmed and decided that she had a choice to remain that way or do something different.
She chose the latter.
What about you??
