Stop chasing, start creating

Being in a state of constant chase is holding you back from creating the life you want. You don't have to keep chasing people, chasing a better life, or chasing a feeling to create a life you love.

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In the age of constant doing, our minds are more active than we are.

We rush around. We busy ourselves with a to-do list. We bury ourselves in our work. We are turning into a culture of nonstop doers. At the same time, we also experience inaction. Many people are ‘doing’ more in their minds than they are in reality. The mind remains more active than we ever are.

In order to create the life we want, we must pursue our goals. To pursue is to proceed along a desired path. Humans are built for pursuit, but we are not built for constant chasing and doing.

In a state of healthy pursuit

A healthy pursuit is one that inspires us to act because we want to, not because we have to. A healthy pursuit allows you to creatively express yourself; your hopes, your dreams, your wishes, your desires. A healthy pursuit keeps you connected to yourself and those around you. Healthy pursuit is about creating and building a life you love rather than one you have to run away from.

As a culture, we are thinking more and more. With a steady stream of news, information, negativity and cynicism, our thinking brain is wiring itself to anticipate the worst. The constant loop of stress makes for an active mind. The constant state of doing is an effort to keep up with our active minds.

This has a detrimental impact on our ability to pursue the changes we wish to make. We stay thinking about the change we want to happen instead of taking the necessary steps to make the thing we want our reality. We create expectations, we build up hope, and we build a new life for ourselves in our minds, but not in real life. We become stuck and unable to pursue.

The pattern of healthy pursuit turns into a pattern of constant chase, where we are no longer pursuing things through action, we are constantly chasing them in our minds; chasing people, chasing goals, chasing hopes, chasing feelings, chasing a different outcome, and chasing a better life. It becomes a cycle of constant chase.

In a state of constant chase

If to pursue is to proceed along a desired path, then to chase is to pursue as a way to catch or catch up with. A healthy pursuit allows you to find your way by staying on the path. And a constant chase will have you busy-making, running around, and worrying about whether you’ve caught up or if there is more to catch. The state of constant chase ignites our stress response in the same way a cheetah’s stress gets activated in order to chase its prey. Except, in our case, we’re not chasing antelopes. We’re chasing deadlines, chasing rumours and gossip, chasing text messages, and chasing our way through the day.

Cheetahs learn to chase because it keeps them alive. They don’t hold onto the stress of chasing because they process the stress energy through movement. When we are chasing things around in our minds, sometimes from the comfort of our couch, our body doesn’t have an opportunity to process the stress from the chase. Being in a state of constant chase keeps our stress activated in mind and body. This reaffirms the importance of daily movement, a healthy meal, and a good night’s rest.

Stop chasing, start creating

Here are 5 important lessons I’ve learned about being in a state of constant chase paired with the 5 solutions to help you create a life you love: