If You’re Always Busy, What’s Chasing You?

If you've been reading my blog posts for any time, you know that when I was directing a theatre company, every two months there was a new show. The applause was loud, the proof was visible, the validation was real.

But in between productions?
I couldn’t stop moving.

I filled my days with documents, meetings, schedules—anything that looked productive.

Not because it necessarily needed to be done.
But because I was terrified of what might surface if I slowed down.

High achievers love to say we’re “driven.”
We wear busy like a badge of honor.

But here’s what I’ve learned:
👉 Busyness isn’t always ambition.
Often, it’s avoidance.

We use movement to protect ourselves from silence.
Because silence is dangerous. It whispers truths we don’t want to hear:

·        What if you’re not enough?

·        What if no one notices without the applause?

·        What if you stop, and nothing is there?

For me, busyness was a shield against insignificance.

Maybe for you, it’s different.

·        Fear of being ordinary.

·        Fear of rejection.

·        Fear of slowing down long enough to feel grief, anger, or emptiness.

Whatever it is, busyness keeps us running—but the question is:
👉 What’s chasing you?

Here’s the danger: when we stay busy, we stop being present.

·        We sacrifice relationships for productivity.

·        We trade creativity for activity.

·        We betray our own hearts to avoid the silence.

And the silence we run from? It always catches up.

The antidote to busyness isn’t another planner or productivity hack.
It’s courage.

The courage to stop long enough to see what’s chasing you.

👉 Is it fear of being unseen?
👉 Fear of being left behind?
👉 Fear of being irrelevant?

When you name it, it loses power.
When you face it, you stop running.

A Reflection for You

This week, I invite you to pause and ask yourself:

👉 If I stopped being busy, what would catch me?

Because leadership isn’t about motion.
It’s about presence.
And presence begins the moment you stop running.

Get my Free Guide: Achieve More By Doing Less.
https://www.shift-coach.net/achievemore