Do you ever bite off more than you can chew?
I do it all the time. You’d think I’d learn not to do that after so many times, but noooooooooo, not me. I keep doing it over and over again.
So why do I do that? I finally asked myself that question. Actually, I am just asking myself that question.
You know, earlier today, and I mean the day is just starting off at 2 AM. Earlier today, when I woke up and wrote my Morning Pages, it was all about asking the right question.
What happens when you ask the wrong question? You get the wrong answer, right? Wrong! You get the right answer to the wrong question. Really. So the trick is to ask the right question. How do you do that? I started by asking myself, is this what I really want to know?
I narrowed it down to the right question. Why is it that I am not living the life I really want to. The answer I got may surprise you, it surprised me. “Because you’re not.” Huh? or is it duh! Of course.
Damn, wrong question again. Did I just say damn? I did, didn’t I? and you know what? the world didn’t come to a screeching halt and I am still alive. Hallelujah! But, I digress.
The real question was “What do I need to do next in order to live the life I want to live? The answer was simple and clear. “Get on the computer and write! Stop making excuses.”
So, what do you do when you bite off more than you can chew? I normally chew it half ass (OMG he did it again) and swallow it, considering the other alternative is socially unappreciated, but I do spit it out occasionally. Which is the better of the two, but neither one is the right wise thing to do.
The wise thing to do would be to take your time and slowly chew it properly and go through the discomfort in the short run, to gain the proper benefit of what you bit off. And since we don’t normally do that, or in my case, never do that, at least thus far in recollectable memory, I don’t learn the lesson associated with the habit of bitting off more that I can chew.
So as I ask myself that question, why do I bite off more than I can chew, the answers are emerging.
First off, I know, instinctively, that I have the capacity and the capability of chewing bigger chunks, and therefore I bite it off.
Second, once I bite it off, I want to spit it out, something stops me. The reality is that it is my inner self telling me, no it is not too big, you can chew it. But, I ignore it and succumb to the perceived appearance of “I am going to look like a fool sitting here chewing this thing for a loooooooong time”, so I swallow it. Then I can’t digest it properly, and it gives me a tummy ache, and makes me feel miserable. And, since misery loves company, I get on the spiral of self-sabotaging and destructive self talk. Not very smart!
Third, I am coming to terms with the fact that I am capable of more than I give myself credit for. I just need to slow down, and take the time to chew it, and not worry about making a donkey out of myself (ha, I didn’t say ass), because the truth is that I am doing that anyway.
So, here is the $64,000 question. “Why do they call it the $64,000 question?”
And, oh yeah, Do you bite off more than you can chew? and if so, what do you do next?
You can share your thoughts in the comments below, and pass it on to others to ponder and respond. What I am really saying is, I’d appreciate all the Tweets and Stumbles I can get.
Hi Rasheed, this was inspirational, and amusing! I think we often bite off more than we can chew when want something new or different in our lives. We get so caught up in the “doing” that we forget to reflect and do things in a more methodical way. For me, I have to slow down, be aware of the desired outcome, then detach from it. It is then that I can proceed in a more serene manner, chewing and savoring each bite along the way. Of course, asking the right questions helps here. Like “what do I really want” and “what happens if I don’t get it”, and still taking mindful action.
Thanks for sharing, inspiring, and making me smile!
Cheers,
Miche
.-= Miche – Serenity Hacker´s last [post] ..3 Keys to Emotional Serenity =-.
Hey Miche,
Glad you like the subtle sense of humor. I figured, I have been telling everyone to be themselves, but I have not been that myself, so might as well take my own medicine and see how I like it.
I prefer to stay away from asking questions about what I don’t want to happen, because that distracts me. That’s me. If it works for you, more power to you.
Thanks for the positive feedback.
Love, Rasheed
.-= Rasheed Hooda´s last [post] ..If You Really Want the Answer, Ask the Right Question =-.
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Aha! You have a knack for writing humor methinks. Nicely done and it made me smile over and over. Was that what you were aiming for?
Honestly, I was just being myself for a change. Not aiming for anything, but just getting it out of the system. It was when I reviewed it prior to posting that I noticed a bit of humor.
That is not to say I was not aware of what I was doing or what I was writing.
Glad you see some potential. Thanks for the comment
Rasheed
Good points, all. What good is the right answer to the wrong question? You only give yourself the challenges you intuitively know you can handle. And there’s really no reason we are not living our dreams. There is only the fact.
I’m glad to see you emerging.
I like that, thanks for the comment and the feedback.
Love, Rasheed
Nice article Rasheed They call it the $64.000 question because in the 50′s that was the top prize in a game show quiz, I think it was Double your Money. Hence the hardest question became the $64.000 question.
HI Croz,
Glad you stopped by and that you like the article. I actually knew about the $64,000 question. I am a trivia junkie, or used to be, but as I wrote, that what what flowed out of my pen, or rather my fingertips on the keyboard.
I think allowing myself to silly as I write is going to be fun.
Appreciate your feedback.
Love, Rasheed
Hi Rasheed!
Yes, I always, Always, ALWAYS bite off more than I can chew. I think it is part of being an overachiever – idealist.
So, what do I do about it? I panic. Every time. Then, I try to rationalize. Sometimes I have a good sulk about it (the WHY ME drama comes to town…). But the thing that keeps me going is this thought / idea that pops into my head eventually…. “This is something you wanted at one time, and now you have it. Stop resisting it and deal with it. Or, now that you have More Information, make a different choice.” That’s about the time the WHY ME drama responds, “Oh, ya.” and goes away :0)
HI Brooke,
So good to see you again. I know what you mean by it. I used to think that way too. But I shifted away from those *lables* when I realized that those are other people’s perception of me. No one can achieve more than they can, so you *can’t* be an overachiever. If you can achieve more than most, it simply means you are exceptional or remarkable, but calling you that would make them unremarkable or average, and who wants to accept that?
I am who I am and coming to terms with that fact. I have been calling myself Mister Weirdo for almost 15 years, yet have not totally felt comfortable being one all of the time. But that is changing.
Your reactions to biting off more than you can chew is soooooo familiar.
Love, Rasheed
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