The title of this article plays off the common phrase: “Hard to see the forest through the trees,” which is worthy of its own Perspective-article in itself. (I always had such a hard time to cleverly use that phrase at the perfectly poignant time.)
Anyway, I’d like to introduce a new phrase that you’re welcome to adopt and use as your very own: “Hard to see the forage through the weeds.”
To forage: to gather, to produce, to save, to hustle, to amass; “Foraging” in the sense of things you should do to stay ahead of the game.
Examples are reading instead of scrolling; exercising instead of sitting; folding the towels instead of not; doing the dishes instead of not; paying bills on time instead of “tomorrow;” practicing a skill instead of watching tv; picking up around the house instead of laying around; going to church instead of going to brunch; saving instead of spending… Y’know, actual “adulting“ stuff instead of “kidding” stuff.
The weeds: A metaphorical place of standstill where we (suddenly!) find ourselves; A place of unproductiveness via habitual procrastination; A place from where an overwhelming focus on inconsequential details leads to no action or resolution at all; A place from where we incredulously and (not necessarily) rhetorically ask, “How’d I get here, how do I get out and who can I blame?”
Isn’t it true, though?
We get sO caught up in whatever rigmarole, upon which we place so much weight, that it oddly freezes us in a place of complete inaction and insecurity.
As a result, then, we kind of psychologically remove ourselves from the situation and forge a neglect or a forgetfulness entirely, until the next “thing” that arises is avoided or put off and the vicious cycle repeats putting us further and deeper “in the weeds.“
Such an unnecessary place to be.
From this self-put vista, you can see all the things you still have to do. The issues, chores, tasks or problems didn’t just go away because you decided to remove yourself — and you know this. They’re still there!
So, yeah, it’s hard to “forage” or act when you’re stuck in a frozen state of inactivity and overwhelmedness à la the weeds.
So, please, for the sake of your well-being and the fruit it’ll bear for yourself and others around you, stay out of the weeds! They only get thicker & denser.
Rather, I invite you to enjoy the place from where I dwell and forage: a well-manicured lawn (still metaphorically-speaking).
To sum it up, here’s the conundrum for which you need to solve for a solution:
How can I get to all the things I have to do and want to do when I constantly put off all the things I have to do and want to do?
Another perspective to avoiding the weeds is here.
For help, join The Arena Disciplina here.