Stop Drowning in 5: The 5 Keys to Stop Drowning in Your Professional and Personal Life

Water and I are not the best of friends and I’ve suffered several events of fear and panic related to water. While at the ocean… I remember a current slowly pulling me away from my friends and I was lucky to have had a friend there to lend me a hand, but I will never forget how small I felt at that moment… how little people were aware of my stress and need. It was a surreal moment as I watched everyone having a great time while I was being swept away. Sounds a lot like life and leadership sometimes!

It’s may not be water; perhaps you’re drowning as you struggle to keep a positive face and stiff chin as a leader at your job, maybe you’re caring for an infant, your trying to manage an ever-increasing workload at your job, the after-school schedule of your kids, your marriage or relationship, or painfully not knowing what your next step is in life and thinking, “Is this it?”.

Drowning is a draining experience as you feel scared, alone, and no one really knows the true amount of stress you’re under. You can drown in your fears and failures; looking dejected and becoming apathetic... but also in your triumphs; trying to keep up with your success; always ready to accept more and feeling the pressure to always be looking “busy” and on top of your game. Either way, YOU are drowning and you’d like it to stop! At this point, you have choices:

1.    You can succumb to the water in your life and accept your current existence; leaving you feeling miserable, resentful, and blaming everyone and everything.

2.    You can find peace and purpose in your current life and lifestyle; making it tolerable as you settle into your life as it is.

3.    Or… Try these 5!

Reset – It’s easy to get caught in “Go” mode and feel as though if you STOP the world will stop spinning, chaos will ensue, and the sky will fall. Although you are important in YOUR world… It’s amazing how others will tend to figure things out when you decide to stop or take a break. Believe me… your job existed before you and will run after you drop dead of a massive heart attack trying to be the world’s best leader or employee… and… your partner existed before you and will live on after you drop dead of a heart attack chasing your definition of success. I would hope the job and relationship are better with you… but you must know they have managed before you and will carry on without you! EVERYONE can make time for a few minutes, one hour (or a whole lot more) for reflection and resetting. While RESETTING, ask yourself

-        “What are all of the things I have to do?”
-        “What am I doing and actually getting done?”
-        “What’s my real goal and end-game?”
-        “Is what I’m doing working and beneficial to my life, relationships, and dream?”
-        “Am I working smarter or am I working harder?”
-        “What would be a smarter, healthier, and better way?”

Plan – Now you have the answer to these questions… it’s time to plan! Whether you’re achieving your goals, successful, and busy… or not achieving your goals, unsuccessful, and not busy… everyone needs these regular “Get Your Life Together Days!”. This can take 30 minutes, an hour, or an afternoon.

-        It’s planning and writing down HOW you will work smarter and healthier to get to where you’d like to be in your 4 P’s?
-        What changes need to be made NOW?
-        What will your next move be?
-        WHO can help and how?
-        Writing your plan down and writing a To-Do List daily

Create Breaks – It’s important to create a light at the end of the tunnel. We tend to work more steady, harder, and smarter when we know break-time or a vacation is coming. Get done what needs to get done… so you can relax, chill, and enjoy the fruits of your labor! As a leader, YOU have to know YOU. Some people are built to work and grind for days, weeks, or months on end with no break needed. Others are built to work and grind for a few hours and need a break. No judgment… you are you! Become aware of what you need and give yourself a break within reason. A break for me is as simple as taking a walk, a cigar, a date with my wife, throwing the ball with my kids… or as big as a scheduled family vacation. Whether big or small… If you don’t plan to care for you… who will?

Love – Yes LOVE! I am not talking about the feeling of love… although awesome! I’m talking about “Doing” Love. Love is a verb… be sure you are actively loving the people around you: your partner, your children, your co-workers… and YOURSELF! It would be a shame to plan and work so hard for your success and desired lifestyle, only to end up alone and lonely because you neglected the people who cared about you the most.

Treat Yourself – When you decide to stop drowning and work your 5… it can be easy to focus on the end. Realize… there is never an end to EVOLVING. Most people in positions of leadership will experience some sort of success and quickly move on to the next task or goal… either out of habit or a belief that the small wins are not that important. Only YOU know your list inside and out and what it takes to live YOUR dream… therefore, if you don’t share or celebrate your successes… no one may know that they happened! So, be sure to treat yourself after successes… big and small! What do you do to treat yourself after success? What will you add to the list moving forward?  


“Believe it or not… your job, your partner, and this life will resume without you. Be sure to take care of yourself so you can be there for who and what really matters!”

– Andre Young

Written By: Andre Young