A pre-mortem practice to stay present
The fastest path to feeling grateful is being able to see what's at stake.
You might find it “morbid”, but it works;
The only way for you to know is to try.
Because if you’re like me and occasionally burn out,
It’s useful to step back and appreciate1 life.
I know it sounds trite, I know you’ve heard it before,
But I know what it’s like to live on the edge of crying.
I, too, get lost on which path to take or product to build;
I, too, need a reminder2 of my autonomy.
So when I reach a tension peak
With no end to the work in sight,
I run this pre-mortem3 thought exercise
To ground me before my nerves take flight:
Imagine if I lost my partner tomorrow?
Imagine if I lost my parents or friends?
Remember what it was like to lose my brother?
None of my To-Do’s had mattered in the end.
What would matter would be what I wouldn’t get back.
I’d miss sharing how our days went;
Like saying, “Hi, Honey! I’m home!” to an empty room,
Would these projects mean anything then?
But that is not now and they are still here,
Which means I can stop worrying today.
So let me put my feet up and embrace what I’ve got.
Remind me... what was I stressing over again?
PS: If you want to read a captivatingly wild, bizarre, and hilarious book about life choices and crabs, I highly recommend THE HIKE by Drew Magary 🦀
If it’s not for this, then what? — to recognise that you’ve already “made it”
Project Pre-Mortems — how to identify risks before they occur
Nice read Geoff. A bit OT, but how can you record a voice over for your article?