Lampposts and Keys
There's an old story that goes something like this:
One evening, Sam looks out her living room window onto the street where a lamppost is shining in the dark. She notices a man circling the base of the lamppost, staring down at the ground. She watches him, curious to see what happens. After a few minutes, Sam walks outside and asks the man what he's doing.
"I'm looking for my keys," he says
"Let me help," Sam replies, and she joins in the search.
After about 10 minutes of searching and no keys, Sam asks,
"Where did you have your keys last?"
The man answers, "I dropped them about two blocks down from here."
Confused, Sam asks "So why are you looking for them here?"
The man replies "Because the light is so much better here".
I took this story to heart recently. I've been procrastinating doing work that needed to be done on my coaching business. Parts of it were repetitive administrative things. Others were out of my comfort zone. So instead of looking for my keys in the dark, I found myself going to the lamppost where the light was better. There, I could find Hulu, a refrigerator, and Candy Crush. So many fun distractions, but none would help me find my keys. It turns out that 'The light is better over there' is what my brain says when faced with something that's boring, awkward, uncomfortable, intimidating, or challenging.
Me: It's time to write your blog post and newsletter.
My brain: What on earth are you going to write about this time? Let's do it tomorrow. The light is better over here, let's take a nap.
Me: I will empty out the remaining boxes from the recent move.
My brain: Ooh, that sounds like a lot of work. The light is better over here, let's snuggle into that chair and listen to another chapter from that great book!
Me: I will have a conversation with a work colleague about a difficult topic
My brain: Now that sounds really uncomfortable. Let's check email one more time to see if there's anything urgent that's come up in the last 15 minutes. Maybe someone needs something. The light is way better over here.
Me: I need to work on my coaching website and set it up for eCommerce.
My brain: Oooh! This may get complicated. Wait, when is my amazon order due to arrive? Oh wow, these new gadgets are in stock, what else can I shop for? The light is awesome over here!
I was usually better off doing what I had originally planned in each case, but my brain was resisting: keeping me safe from feeling bored, uncertain, and uncomfortable. It was just doing its job. My challenge was to recognize the 'light is better over here' story and get back to what I had planned to do.
In the end, I will feel a stronger sense of accomplishment when I venture into those places that are uncomfortable, awkward, or challenging. Those 'light is better over here' places are appealing in the moment, but there are no keys there; worse, I delay finding my keys!
What kind of 'light is better over here' lampposts live in your neighborhood? :)