The more we do, the more we do
A story about sleep (sort of).
When we hired a sleep coach to help with my daughter’s sleep (or lack thereof), I remember her saying something that really felt counterintuitive until I gave it some thought.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
She said, “Sleep begets sleep.”
Basically, the more my daughter slept, the more she’d sleep.
This sounds obvious, but honestly, we were approaching it the opposite way. We’d let her stay up later or we’d skip a nap thinking it’d help her sleep through the night.
But that’s not how sleep works. Trust me. I know. 😴⠀⠀⠀
And it’s not how most things in life work.
When we do more of something, it invariably helps us do more of that thing.
When we do less of something, we do even less of that thing (as it gets harder the less we do it).
I’ve been writing a lot more lately, especially for LEAD.Well, my Leadership Letters, the podcast and social media.
At first, it felt hard and like there was no way I’d have enough ideas to write about.
But the more I wrote, the more I wrote. The more ideas that came, the more ideas came.
It’s also exactly how I went from reading 5-10 books a year (at best) to 60+. The more I read, the more I read.
What’s something you’d like to do more of?
As basic as it may sound, can you start by doing more of it? It doesn’t have to be good – it’s the act of doing that counts.
- Creativity begets creativity.
- Growth begets growth.
- Focus begets focus.
- Showing up begets showing up.
- Action begets action.
My kiddo is now a consistent sleeper and I’m on my way to being a consistent writer.
The more we do, the more we do.
And if we’re doing the things that matter most to us, then there’s no stopping us. 👊🏻
*Note: this post originally appeared over on IG here
Steph x
p.s. I have two spots left in my Accelerator Sessions. Looking for serious support and accountability in an affordable, flexible schedule? Learn more here or hit reply and we can set up a time to chat.
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🎧 FRESH ON THE PODCAST
In this week’s episode, I’m sharing the ONE question I give to every client before they have a hard conversation. It truly makes all the difference.
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Web
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💡 FRESH, HAND-PICKED RESOURCES
Curated links from around the web to help you work well, live well and lead well. Plus a few of my favourite things.
You Absolutely Can Tackle the Big Things You’ve Been Avoiding
One of the commitments I made this year is to “deal, don’t defer.” The weight of open loops, big or small, takes up unnecessary space that could otherwise go toward more productive things.
Here’s how to get started closing the loops.
>> Read more here.
Mind the Gap
This is an oldie but a goodie. I try to watch this at least once a year as a reminder that whenever I decide to do more of something (see letter above), I won’t likely be very good at it in the beginning. I truly believe one of the greatest self-leadership skills we can learn is to keep going even when our work isn’t great. Most of us quit way too soon before the work gets good.
IMHO this is a must-watch for everyone.
>> Watch it here.
I Quit!
Speaking of quitting, let me contradict myself by saying that sometimes the best thing to do isn’t to keep going – it’s to quit. In this interesting, interactive piece from the NYT, you’ll read the stories of 20 different people who decided to quit.
>> Read more here.
These are a few of my favourite things…
🏵 Super thrilled for one of my clients, Emily Slaneff of Crush Camp for being recognized as one of 13 inspiring entrepreneurs in Alberta. 🙌
🏵 Quite enjoyed this read.
🏵 Fresh flowers. I’m buying myself some every week and I hope you will too. What a difference.
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🎉 LEAD.Well
This month inside of LEAD.Well, we’re diving deep into how to navigate tricky & sticky conversations. This is such a sore spot for so many leaders, and yet with practice, we can all get better at this. Join our community of practice with tools, leadership challenges and our book club discussion (this month it’s Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson).
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💥THE WEEK IN A GIF
My honest reaction to the news that it’s between Biden & Sanders. Ugh. As Michelle Cottle said in a NYT article, “Maybe next time ladies.” Also: this gif comes from a brilliant, and hyper-relevant video. Check it out here and let me know what you think.
