Okay, so I wanted to share something I went through recently. Things got kinda heavy, felt like I was just spinning my wheels, you know? Work stuff, personal stuff, everything felt like wading through thick mud. I was trying everything, pushing harder, working longer hours, just burning myself out completely.
Nothing was really changing, though. It was like the harder I pushed, the more stuck I got. Super frustrating. I spent a few evenings just staring at the wall, honestly. Felt pretty low.
Finding a Different Gear
Then, I dunno, maybe it was from watching some nature show ages ago, but I got this image of an alligator stuck in my head. Just floating there, totally still, eyes barely above the water. Waiting. Not wasting energy. Just being there, observing.
And I thought, huh, maybe I’m doing this all wrong. Maybe trying to force everything isn’t the way. Maybe I needed some of that… stillness. That patience. What if I tried to tap into that kinda ‘alligator spirit’?
So, I decided to try it. It felt really counter-intuitive at first.
- Stopped pushing: First thing I did was consciously stop trying to force solutions. If something wasn’t working, I’d just step back from it for a bit.
- Observed more: Instead of constantly acting, I spent more time just watching situations unfold. At work, I listened more in meetings instead of jumping in. In my personal life, I tried to understand dynamics before reacting.
- Conserved energy: I stopped doing things just to feel busy. Focused my efforts only when I felt it was really necessary or when an opportunity naturally showed up.
- Waited for the right moment: This was the hardest part. Like that gator waiting for the fish to swim by. I had to trust that the right time to act would come, rather than creating frantic action all the time.
The Actual Process
Man, it was tough initially. My brain was screaming at me to do something. Sitting back felt lazy, unproductive. There were days I almost gave up, thinking this was just making things worse. Doubts crept in all the time. Was I just being passive? Was I letting things slide?
But I stuck with it. I started noticing small things I’d missed before because I was always rushing. I saw patterns in problems that weren’t clear when I was right in the thick of it. By conserving energy, when I did need to act, I had more focus, more clarity.
It wasn’t like a magic switch flipped. Things didn’t suddenly become perfect. But the constant feeling of struggle started to ease off. Some problems started resolving themselves almost, just by me getting out of the way. Other times, because I waited and watched, I saw a clear path forward and could act decisively, effectively. Like that gator finally making its move – quick, efficient, and done.
Looking back, this whole ‘alligator spirit’ thing for me wasn’t about being aggressive or cold. It was about patience, observation, and knowing when to be still and when to act. It helped me get out of that burnout cycle. Sometimes, not pushing is the most powerful thing you can do. It’s definitely something I’m trying to keep in my back pocket now.
