Energy dragging? Here’s how I snapped out of it.

Earlier this year, feeling worn down from the pandemic and wanting to shift my energy, I did something that I still feel proud of.

Ready for it?

Okay, here it is.

I hung some IKEA shelves.

Are you underwhelmed? Maybe even rolling your eyes? “You hung some cheap shelves? Big whoop, Steve.”

Okay, yes, hanging some shelves is not going to win me any awards.

But these days, that little decision to get those shelves hung (and not sit on my office floor for months, as IKEA boxes are prone to do) makes me feel good.

And so, I choose to take pride in that action. And towards the end of this blog I’ll point you to the science behind why it’s so powerful.

But - I didn’t always think like this.

In the past, I really avoided celebrating the small accomplishments or minor milestones in my life.

A story comes to mind: When we American bobsledders won the World Championships in 2009 for the first time in 50 years, I was standing behind the podium with the two teammates I’d been with for a while, and the “baby” on the team, Justin Olson. I think it was Justin’s second year bobsledding.

There we were, standing behind the podium about to be called to take a step up. A beautifully sunny day. There were about 1,000 people there — long-time bobsled fans, athletes from the past 40-50 years, and everybody's family and friends. Everyone was happy because we'd just broken this decades long losing streak. And as they’re announcing “Gold medal, Team USA”, I turned to Justin and whispered, “you know, it’s not this easy.”

I wanted him to realize that this moment was a rarity, that there had been decades of losses behind this moment, and that we couldn’t take our foot off the brake for a second if we wanted to win Olympic gold.

I didn’t even let this 21-year-old kid enjoy his moment on the podium. Why? Because that had been my attitude for my athletic career so far.

If you’re a high performer, achiever, or goal-oriented person, you might relate. Maybe, like me, you worry that celebrating the small things might undercut our momentum and energy or desire to achieve the big things, and do those things as well as possible.

But, as I said in my last email,  the pandemic has caused many of us to reset and re-evaluate our expectations.

Maybe this is a good time for a mental shift.

I’ve learned that my old “celebrate only the final goal” mindset might have been okay while I was working towards Olympic gold - when there was ONE specific goal - but it doesn’t help me much in “real” life.

It doesn’t help me be a good leader, a good dad, a good partner, a good boss, a good board member. And it definitely doesn’t help my mental health, especially in a pandemic.

You know what does help?

Recognizing and appreciating the small steps forward.

My current favorite podcast, The Huberman Lab, hosted by Dr. Anthony Huberman out of Standford’s medical school, speaks to what’s happening inside the brain and body when we celebrate our wins in his podcast #12, How To Increase Motivation & Drive. (this is the spotify link, it’s available wherever you listen to your podcasts, though!)

So, yes. Everyday I take a little bit of pride in my IKEA shelves. (If you see me over Zoom I just might point them out.)

And maybe someday, when it’s safe to do so, you can come by for a beer in my backyard and I’ll show you some outdoor lights I installed. Pretty proud of them too.

Turns out acknowledging our small efforts and celebrating the heck out of them won’t prevent us from making it through this, or any other, challenging time.

In fact, it just makes the journey better.

- Steve