Take out the trash

Tired of the load you need to carry? Day in day out it seems to get heavier and the goal to get rid of it seems to slowly blur away. For everyone else this might mean a different load. While some are being overload with emotional stuff, some are being held down by worries and others get lost in the dirt of issues. Eitherway the trash load waited too long for the garbage man to be picked up.

Within an organisation there are always decision making moments. Some come from problems that need to be solved and others come from subjects or feelings that need to be expressed. But the other way around these decision making moments can also come from answers that are in search of a question or solutions that need to find a matching issue.

An organisation can be the million dollar company you are working for or a small business you own. But an organisation is also the place you call home or the family and friends you are surrounded with. The most important organisation I refer to is your own human body. All of these organisations are managed with support of the biggest engine that is controlled by you: the mind. And that’s right where the decision making is being handled.

The moment we forget to take the trash out we are making decisions on a dirty underground or from a smelly environment. Endless discussions will take place and the focus eventually will get lost. Dependable on the organisation these can be discussions with others but more dangerously discussions within you.

For example; there is being a unclear process on the project you are working on in your company. Weeks pass by and issues are taking place, but there is still no clear process. Now issues are being placed on top of the biggest issue: no clear process. Instead of discussing the process, the transfer will be made to discussions about the new issues and how they can be solved on a short term. Meanwhile the biggest issue is still out there and is starting to smell. But because this was not taken out first you are stuck now with endless meetings and discussions that come from all the new issues created.

Ok.. let’s take another example that has impact on our personal organisation. This can be anything: from a fight that was not talked out to a relationship that was not really over. When these old situations are ‘unsolved’ they cut off the fresh air to make it breatheable for new situations. And without fresh air even your new situations get affected with the smell of the old situations that are still laying out there. This creates discussions with your inner peace and makes your heartbeats less pure and heavier every time the dirt is not fully washed away.

In both cases we are losing sight off the real issues and we need to be aware of the garbage can that is getting too heavy to carry. With all the discussions that are being created more involvement is neccesary and the decision to be taken is getting bigger. This automatically leads to more risks and communication that will be counterproductive.

What we need to understand is that we can wait hours, days and even years for the garbage man in these situations. We can wait for the time this man finally finds the way, time and guts to pick up your garbage. OR

We can pull up our big girl / boy panties and decide to take the trash out ourselves. Take the lead in getting the dirt out. With a clear vision, creativity and the power to convince yourself and others that it is time to take out the trash.

In your professional organisation this means to think and act on solutions and in your personal organisation this means to truly forgive, compromise or let go. It might be your garbage, it might be someone elses but you need to realize that it is messing up your fresh air and clean environment. Take the responsibilities to keep that area neat, breatheable and peaceful. It is yours after all.