# Step one: noticing the busyness badge

- **Episode:** [221](https://agents.truthliesandwork.com/episodes/221.md) (2025-08-07)
- **Type:** interview
- **Tags:** busyness, burnout, self-reflection, habits, mindfulness
- **Time:** 15:36–17:31 (start 936s)
- **Listen:** [https://truthliesandwork.com/221?t=936](https://truthliesandwork.com/221?t=936)

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[15:36] Al Elliott: So if someone's listening to this and it's resonating deeply, they're going, do you know what? I am wearing busyness as a badge. Can you give them something, some practical steps in saying how they climb down from that point in their life?
[15:50] Carolina Lasso: Yeah, I would say step one is recognition
[15:53] Leanne Elliott: Noticing
[15:55] Carolina Lasso: Noticing. Because sometimes you don't even notice that's what you're doing. And so first notice, oh gee, I've been doing that for a long time now. Number 2, ask yourself, what's underneath that? Why would busyness make you important? Would elevate you? There's this extra sense of elevation
[16:14] Leanne Elliott: Of what?
[16:15] Carolina Lasso: To what? For what? Who do you want to impress? Is it yourself? Is it your inner child? Is it your parents? Is it your boss? Who is behind this? What's going on there? And once you've uncovered it, Then recognize what may be driving it. What was the trigger point for that? And using that information, then you can uncover too and explore ways to change it from that root cause, right? Because you can try to just change the language and not say busy. You can say, fine, I'm doing fine. Or, you know, I'm more spacious today or whatever. But if it's not authentic and if it doesn't tackle the root cause, then it'll continue to happen, or it'll be superficial or fake. But what's underneath that, right? In my case, it was that sense of, well, if I'm busy, then that means I'm successful. And if I'm successful, and if I do a lot of really good things and have productive outcomes and very creative solutions, then I'm going to be accepted. I am going to belong. I'm gonna be loved. That's mine. What's yours? What's on the other side, right? And so I think it becomes real important to get to that root cause