Alright, let’s talk about something I’ve been mulling over lately. It’s about that raw, kinda unfiltered energy some folks, myself included, seem to run on. You know, the type where you just dive headfirst into things, maybe speak before thinking, driven by this intense gut feeling.
I remember this one time, years back, I got this idea for a small community project. It hit me like a lightning bolt. Seriously, one minute I was fine, the next I was absolutely convinced this was THE thing to do, right now. Didn’t pause, didn’t really plan much beyond the initial burst of inspiration. I just started doing it.
My Big Rush Job
So, I jumped in. Started calling people, making demands (politely, I thought, but probably too directly), expecting everyone to catch my fire immediately. I was all passion and action. Go, go, go.
- I sketched out the basics on a napkin, literally.
- I secured a small space based purely on a verbal agreement.
- I told everyone it was happening next month.
Predictably, things got messy. People weren’t on my timeline. They had questions I hadn’t considered. Practical stuff, boring stuff, but important stuff. Funding details, permissions, who was actually responsible for what. My initial burst of energy crashed hard against reality. I got frustrated. Why wasn’t everyone else feeling the urgency? Why the roadblocks?
Honestly, I ended up stepping on quite a few toes. Came across as impatient, maybe arrogant. Didn’t mean to, but my drive to just do the thing steamrolled over the need to plan the thing properly and bring people along gently. The whole project fizzled out eventually, leaving behind some awkwardness and burnt bridges.
Figuring Stuff Out
It took a few more experiences like that, hitting similar walls, feeling that same cycle of intense enthusiasm followed by frustrating reality checks, for me to start seeing a pattern. That initial fire is great for getting things off the ground, no doubt. It cuts through hesitation. But it’s also kinda blind.
I realized I needed to learn to hold that energy, just for a beat. Let the idea sit for a minute. Ask the boring questions myself before dragging everyone else along. It felt unnatural at first, like putting brakes on a race car. But I started forcing myself to:
- Write down the pros and cons.
- Actually talk to people involved and listen to their concerns without getting defensive.
- Build in buffers and contingencies instead of assuming best-case scenarios.
It’s still a work in progress, mind you. That impulsive spark is always there, wanting to charge ahead. But now I recognize it. I know its strengths – the drive, the courage to start. And I know its weaknesses – the impatience, the potential for conflict, the lack of follow-through sometimes. It’s about channeling it, not letting it run wild. Took me long enough to figure that out, through plenty of trial and, honestly, quite a bit of error.
