Please read this note if you have beautiful goals…and you also feel very exhausted right now. You feel
like you just don’t have enough energy to accomplish all the things you long to do. This message is for you.
A few days ago, I announced The Give, Ask, Receive Challenge. This is a free challenge for everyone in our community. No cost to participate. All humans welcome and all ages, too. Grown-ups, teens, and kids.
The premise: Do one tiny act of generosity each day for someone else. It could be someone you know or even a complete stranger. And then, each day, ask for something you want. Ask for an opportunity. Ask for a raise. Ask someone to hire you. Ask for anything you desire. Give. Ask. Receive. Repeat. Five days in a row. Simple and powerful.
Almost 1000 people have already signed up and accepted the challenge, which is just incredible.
And, all week, we’ve been flooded with emails from people saying:
“I am so excited for this.”
“I am so nervous about this.
“I feel both—I am nerv-cited."
And several people said something along these lines:
“I’m looking forward to this experience...but I have to be honest. I'm exhausted right now. I'm worried that I’m going to dive into this challenge and then be too weary to actually complete it. I'm scared that this will be yet another thing that I add to my plate and then can’t finish. 'Asking' sounds exhausting and I am already so tired.”
As someone who has struggled with depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and anxiety at various points through my life, I can empathize.
I know how frustrating it is when you have a beautiful goal but your brain (or body) does not want to cooperate. The desire is there but the energy is not.
I want to say a few words on this.
I hope this message brings comfort and, perhaps, a new perspective.
Firstly, if you’re thinking about doing The Give, Ask, Receive Challenge (or any other challenge or goal), but you feel like you don’t have the energy, I want to gently offer this reminder:
Asking is not necessarily about pushing, striving, and grasping.
Asking can be a quiet and nourishing thing.
You can ask for space. Ask for privacy. Ask a friend to support you.
You can ask your employer for a mental health day, a long weekend, or a different schedule that suits you better.
You can ask a client for an extension on a project, if that would give you some room to breathe.
You can ask someone to stop texting or respect a boundary you’ve set.
You can ask to be released from a commitment you've made. (Maybe you agreed to take on a big project, volunteer, or join a Board of Directors, but upon reflection...you need to step away.)
You can ask your spouse to handle making dinner this week.
You can ask your babysitter if she’d like to earn a little extra cash by handling your laundry for a couple weeks, if that would create relief for you.
You can ask your partner to stop scrolling on their phone in bed if that disrupts your sleep.
You can ask your clients to email you if they have questions (instead of chatting with you on Facebook), because you've decided to delete social media to protect your time and mental health.
You can ask God, Goddess, Spirit, Universe, Higher Power, your Angels or Ancestors for guidance.
You can ask for something that brings you greater peace and that brings you more energy.
Saying “yes” to a new goal doesn’t always mean adding more, more, more to an already stuffed plate.
Sometimes, saying “yes” is all about subtracting and simplifying. Asking for more of what you want and need, and less of what you don't.
With that said, to all the very tired folks out there—
Whether you decide to join us for the challenge or not, I hope this email has inspired you to ask for something…that, perhaps, you never asked for in the past.
Please take good care of yourself.
Do things that make you feel powerful.
Whatever that means for you, in this moment.
-Alex
PS. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, I've found that listening to Disney's Moana soundtrack immediately lifts my energy and makes me feel unstoppable. I often listen while walking Zuki around the 'hood. I will lip-sync and do dramatic "sailing on the sea" choreography which probably startles my neighbors, but I genuinely can't help myself. Once
Moana takes hold, there is no going back. "How far I'll gooooooooooo!"