Over the last couple of years, I’ve written maybe three posts a year. I pay monthly to be able to write here, so it’s time to either write consistently or let this blog fade into nothingness.
One reason it might be a challenge to write with any consistency now is because I’m in school part time and working 32 hours a week. I was in school full time last semester and will be full time again next semester, if I’m brave enough to continue pursuing my education.
I sometimes feel like I’m too anxious for school. I threaten to quit every time I sit down to do my biology homework. (I need that class to get my associate’s degree, so this semester would be a legitimate stopping point…if I want to continue to struggle financially.) My kids talk me down and I manage to finish my assignments.
My days are busy running myself to school and work, running my seventeen-year-old back and forth to work, and getting three of us to standing appointments a few times a week.
Everybody is busy. Busy people still make time to do things that are important to them. If other people can be busy and create, then I can too.
I said in my previous post that I wanted to wake up early and do Self Care. Waking up early is the key to a more peaceful experience of life for me and would be the perfect time to get some writing done.
I’m sharing all of this for some accountability. If I’m going to wake up early to write, then I need to wrap this up and get to bed.
Thank you for reading. I’d love to hear any thoughts that might have come up for you about projects you’d like to work on, or any words of advice you might have for me in the comments.
What matters most is what gets done, or to put it another way,
“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way.
If not, you’ll find an excuse.”
Jim Rohn
What do you want to do this year? I didn’t give New Year’s resolutions much thought before today, but at some point, within the last couple of weeks, I decided I needed an attitude adjustment. I’ve been living life as a victim again and that’s not okay with me.
The following statement is my #1 New Year’s resolution for 2024.
This year, I want to have an improved outlook on life, regardless of any hardship I may be going through (which hopefully there won’t be any/many of those.)
Here are some additional goals I’d like to pursue in 2024.
I want to take more action.
I want to be more supportive of other single moms. I want to figure out what that looks like and do it.
I want to write/create more.
I want to have more fun/more joy 🙂
I want to be more disciplined–wake up early for self-care and make time to exercise.
Last night, I sat in Shoe Carnival with a box of work boots in my lap and teared up. My 40 hour a week job reduced our hours by an entire day or two a week. In a bit of a panic, I called all the temporary work agencies in my area and secured a spot in a different production setting. I miss selling life insurance.
There’s been a knot in my stomach since yesterday and tears well up at certain thoughts.
I’m disappointed by so many aspects of my life.
I’m disappointed my marriage didn’t work out, disappointed with my bank account, disappointed about having to start another new job, disappointed with my spiritual journey, disappointed with the job I did raising five children (They suffered because I didn’t do a better job at adulting.) I’m disappointed with my weak thoughts that beckon me to make poor life choices.
How quickly I went from feeling super inspired a few days ago to wanting to give up today. When I say give up, it sounds quite dramatic. I don’t want to end my life, but I would love to take a big break from this heavy burden. I feel weary.
“Anyone can give up; it is the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone would expect you to fall apart, now that is true strength.” ― Chris Bradford
the way of the sword
I spent some time analyzing my negative headspace and here are five thoughts that helped me regain perspective and get some peace.
There are ALWAYS choices available.
I’m not stuck in my current circumstances. As stuck as I may feel, I always have choices available, even if my choice is to do nothing. This applies to what I do with the rest of my day and the larger picture.
This is temporary.
“The only constant in life is change.” I won’t always work the job I start tomorrow. I have a plan, and this is a small part of that plan. I can handle the discomfort for a little while knowing it’s temporary.
Am I safe? I am.
In this moment, I’m okay. There isn’t anyone banging down my door to take my money, drag me off to jail, or end my life. I can calm down and take care of what needs to be taken care of tonight. I can get present.
I’m not alone.
Other women have walked this single mom journey before me and there are hundreds of thousands of women walking it beside me now.
I’m not alone in my home. There are three children under my roof who could use some love and attention right this very minute.
I’m not alone in my life. I can reach out to friends and family and ask for help, emotionally and tangibly. Support is one text or call away.
There’s no guarantee of tomorrow.
With that being said, how do I wish to go about the rest of today? Do I want to mope and bring my kids down with me or do I want to create a productive evening, with some quality kid time built in?
What are your go to thoughts for getting out of a funk? I’d love to hear them. Leave a comment.
I wake up and usually a negative thought or two come in uninvited. I get a cup of coffee, sit down with a pen and paper, focus on thoughts that put the negative ones in perspective, and carry on like a champ.
Tonight though, I’m feeling a wee bit discouraged. The remedy? More cowbell.
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“Survey says…”
More Cowbell probably won’t help here, but it could be a fun distraction. Self Care is what actually came to mind because it can be lathered, rinsed, and repeated as often as needed, but it’s practically bedtime and I’m stubborn. To think of tonight as a gift…when it’s almost over and I feel gloomy–insert eye roll.
I’ve tried to pin down the thoughts causing the gloom. I’ve narrowed the culprits down to fear and loneliness. Ah, loneliness, my old friend. Welcome back, ya filthy animal.
*Since I refuse to look at tonight as a gift (which it is, it’s just almost over)
*or to think about how we’re all connected (which we certainly are)
*or to think about how the only thing I have any control over tonight, is HOW I CHOOSE to be (again–day’s almost over–what’s the point of making a choice to be anything and then going to bed?)
*and I prefer to wallow, instead of being good to myself, what is that I DO want?
Well, I don’t want to wallow.
Crap! I accidentally wrote my way out of my loneliness funk.
What Else Can Be Done About Loneliness?
Before I unknowingly fixed my thinking (it’s that easy!) I tried to figure out what it was that I was looking for outside of myself.
Who am I lonely for or am I just lonely?
Who did I want to magically appear to fix things, to comfort me? What would I want them to say that would ease the internal struggle? Could they say anything that would help or even if they say the right words, would I let them in?
Would praying have helped? I’m sure it would.
“Are you there God? It’s me Fiona. It’s me Fiooonaaaaa…“
This song gets sung around here quite often and popped into my head with the thought of praying.
I probably could’ve used a hug, but I couldn’t think of any one thing that someone else could have said. I’ve had plenty of comforting words said in the past and often they went in one ear and out the other. I found myself a day or two later in need of more comforting words. After years of looking for that comfort from outside sources, I know this is work I must do on my own. It’s no one’s job but mine.
I forget that these “unpleasant” thoughts show up to guide us. They’re here so we can explore them and see what needs to be dealt with. We can feel them, process them, and then carry on.
I’ve been lonely before and it used to be more intense than it was tonight–yay progress! Self Care has been my biggest help in dealing with that longing for a companion, because I’m only dealing with one day at a time, not the past, not the future.
In the present, after I’ve done self care, I’m too busy living my life, taking care of my responsibilities, and working on happy projects to spend much time wallowing over the fact that there’s not a line of Prince Charmings or Young George Clooneys outside my door waiting to take me to the ball or the medical supply closet, if you get my drift.
Even though I was initially bummed that when I sit down to watch an episode of Gilmore Girls later, I won’t be cuddling up next to Charming or Young Clooney or heck–Mature Clooney for that matter, I allowed the loneliness to come. I felt it. I processed it and now I’m back to being okay with where I’m at in my life (Clooney FREE) at 11:00 PM. I’m ready to relax, enjoy 40 minutes in Stars Hollow, and head to bed feeling complete on my own (the way we all need to feel, whether we’re in a relationship or not.)
The other “bad” thought pestering me was fear of the future–uhm…hello, Sarah. It’s the FUTURE. I can’t do any work in the future tonight. What I can do is take a deep breath, recognize that I’m okay in this moment. There’s no crisis at 11:00 PM for me. There’s PLENTY to get stirred up about if I CHOOSE to, but I don’t choose that.
I have the opportunity to get completely present, finish this blog post, relax, and get a good night’s sleep.
Thanks for being part of this Powerful Woman community. If you have any questions about Self Care, my routine, or how it’s assisted me in experiencing a happier now, leave a comment or message me through Facebook. I’ll be happy to share what’s worked for me.
Here’s the sitch. I’ve let my chaotic home, the story of what was, and the story I’ve made up about what my life is now, dominate my brain. I wander through many days feeling good and sorry for myself.
The reality is that some of those, what once felt hopeless, circumstances are now improving. Instead of being grateful, I’ve continued to mourn about what hasn’t improved…what I can’t control.
So today, I have a choice. I can use Self Care thoughts to get myself present, and to get pumped up about my future…or I can carry on as I’ve done for the last however long, and continue to suffer and struggle.
“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” -Jim Rohn
The choice seems obvious.
If I leave all of this moving forward with my life business up to how I feel when I wake up, I’ll continue to stay stuck. It’s up to me to get disciplined about daily Self Care so I can break out of this rut and live out days grounded in peace, even when life is spiraling out of control around me. I’ve experienced this tranquility before and I know it’s possible again.
“We think we are experiencing reality but what we are really experiencing is our thinking.” -Michael Neill
Below is a quick refresher on the 4 main SELF CARE THOUGHTS I mainly use with an invite to check out WHAT EVERY PERSON CAN DO. Be sure to let me know if you decide to go through the course and I’ll add you to the private group for extra support.
Here’s to MORE JOY, MORE PEACE, and MORE POWER for all of us!
(The picture is from The Greatest Victory and the first video I made…Lol)
My life is probably too much of an open book, but I’ve said in the recent past I’m going to be true to who I am, and if that means some people need to walk away, I’ll learn to deal.
Last night after work, my friend Amador and I went out for drinks. I’ve never understood the appeal of alcohol or why anyone would ever want to get drunk and deal with a hangover the next day.
Jason started drinking beer daily before we separated. He didn’t get drunk. It was just annoying to me because of the expense. I judged him pretty hard and even counted bottles. The EXPENSE!
When I quit being a nag, I’d taste the different beer he brought home and tease him that it all tasted like saltine crackers. He’d sit down with a pack of saltine crackers and drink a beer. Kind of redundant in my opinion.
Since the separation I’ve dabbled in different fruity drinks and had a buzz 3 or 4 times. I’ve wondered at what point a person is considered drunk. I even Googled it one night with my bottle of coconut rum.
Well I found out last night. I had 2 Bahama Mama’s on an empty stomach. As I sat there laughing and thoroughly enjoying myself I said, “I used to feel like this all the time.”
I did! I used to feel THAT in love with lifeon a regular basis even in the middle of crappy circumstances – very little money, a marriage falling apart, the stress of raising a house full of kids, and trying to find myself.
I don’t really want to be drunk all the time. My tiny hangover this morning helped me recognize that, but I do want to get back into the head space where I experience that drunk on life feeling.
Life has been such a turd this last decade that I truly believe it will never be as I would have it, but that’s neither here nor there. Even in the middle of the occasional disappointments and chaos, I get to choose to feel defeated or to look around at my blessings and make a plan for the day that will leave me feeling giddy about life.
If I did it once, I can do it again.
I called Bill yesterday. He asked me how I was. I teared up and said, “Not great. I should’ve called a couple of months ago.”
I poured out my little broken heart. He offered reassurance as to my humanness and told me to, “Get the (air) hug,” and I told him I’d call him when I got off work.
Forgetting my intent to call, I got drunk instead.
I’m glad I did. To momentarily feel such elation was the perfect reminder that I didn’t used to need alcohol to accomplish that feeling.
I called Bill this morning to wrap up yesterday’s conversation. I told him about my drunken revelation and said I realize my lack of discipline where daily self care is concerned is the missing link between the way I’ve experienced life recently compared to 5 years ago..
He ended the call by saying, “We’re friends for life,” and reminded me that he’s here for me any time.
I so wish YOU had the opportunity to know Bill too. If you did, he’d make the same statements of love and support to you, but you know me instead so I’ll have to share what he’s taught me as I relearn it.
For me to move forward and not be a complete victim of my thinking as I’ve been the last couple of years, there’s 2 main ingredients.
The 1st thought to let in is that I’m loved unconditionally by at least one person. (I’m blessed enough to have more than one person love me this way.) By letting in that unconditional love means just that and it isn’t going anywhere, no matter what crazy choices I make or don’t make, I’ve been able to experience that my value in the world is indeed undisputed, as is yours and everyone else’s. I forget from time to time. This unconditional love is also a pretty great example of God’s love for us. (Check out the book Real Love.)
The 2nd step is to reflect on a few Self Care thoughts to get myself grounded as my day starts.
Everything is a miracle. (Life is a gift.)
Everything is interconnected. (Every word we speak and action we take makes a difference- good or bad.)
The ONLY thing I have ANY control over is how I CHOOSE to be in the world today. (As much as I’d like to orchestrate the events of my life, it just doesn’t work that way. But I get to choose how to react to what life throws my way.)
And then a 4th thought that’s been useful for me is to be gentle with myself, to treat myself with same love and compassion I show everybody else. I really need to remember this one especially as of late. I’ve been ridiculously hard on myself and I wouldn’t dare be this way with anybody else.
So life is not as I’d have it here and now, but there is still MUCH to be thankful for and I can only do what I can to make each day a little brighter for myself and others.
Thanks for the reminder Bahama Mama!
I’m looking forward to going through life tipsy on LOVE and all things good.
You can experience the goodness of Bill’s work through his online course What Every Person Can Do. It’s the next best thing to knowing him personally 🙂
If you have questions about the online course or if you’d be interested in going through the one on one course with me, you can message me.
Here it is the middle of May. Life is a bit of blur for me these days.
I’ve shared that I’ve been struggling to “find” happiness consistently over the last year and a half. Jason and I are officially separated. Having been through it once, I thought it was going to be easy this time around. No big emotions.
Boy, was I wrong! For 4 years we’d been attempting to put back together a marriage that’d been severely damaged for 10. Back in September, we decided together to let this 19 year journey together die. We continued living under the same roof until the beginning of this month when he moved into his new home. Four days later, Jason and Amelia were in a serious car wreck and OH MY GOODNESS! did I take an even bigger hit to the well being groin. Not sure where that’s located, but it sure did hurt.
Here I sit in the middle of the chaos, trying to decide my next move.
I’ve done a great deal of thinking about perfectionism (which despite my disdain for it, I still find that I’m holding myself to its unattainable standard), low self esteem (which I truly believed I’d conquered, but realized the other day I need to go back and re-learn how to love myself right where I am), loneliness (and how to deal with that beast), finances (the lack thereof and how to get more in a way that is emotionally satisfying), friendship, guilt (how to let go and move forward), and a host of other topics all of which I want to discuss right now, but I won’t.
Reflecting on the lack of joy/well being I feel these days, it occurred to me that when I wake up each morning, I’m falling into my days. I’m not being present. I’m not being mindful each day of the fact that life is fragile, even after an accident that was an inch or two off from ending in fatalities, had Jason not hit the tree head on.
When I have lived like this day might be my last day, I felt lighter emotionally, not weighed down by worry, fear, loneliness, hopelessness. I felt immeasurable love in my heart not only for my family, but for perfect strangers (WHAT A GOOD SHOW THAT WAS!) I wanted to LOVE the entire world. I didn’t take life personally. I just went about my day with a smile on my face and when life threw a curveball at me, I thought, “Oh well. I’ll be fine or I won’t. No sense in worrying.”
TODAY COULD BE MY LAST DAY.
It’s a morbid thought, but some day it WILL BE my very last chance to live a day. Living like today is it, gives each day a sense of purpose. I’ve actually been less afraid of dying when I’ve lived like I might kick the bucket tomorrow and that’s HUGE for me. I’ve spent most of my life afraid of dying.
Way Back When
Living with mortality in mind meant more patience in parenting. I loved my kids where they were instead of trying to “fix” them.
I didn’t get my feathers ruffled as easily in disagreements with Jason. I was able to let him have his opinion without thinking I had to get him to agree with mine.
I didn’t take as much personally.
I recognized that I was good enough. I had just as much value as anybody else alive and all I could do was my best (not talking about perfectionism here. It meant I was giving the day and the people in it my all.)
I was thoroughly enjoying my journey and the growth I was experiencing.
The Shift
I feel happier thinking about what it felt like to live in that space and I want to be able to do it again consistently. The good news is, it’s so possible and I can start now. I just have to get in touch with the realization that there are no guarantees that I’ll be here tomorrow or that you’ll be.
I’m going back to the basics and the Self Care thoughts that Bill Cumming shared with me in his program What One Person Can Do (available in an online course here.)
Everything is a miracle. Life is a miracle.
Everything/Everyone is interconnected (all 7 billion of us.)
The ONLY thing I can control today, is how I CHOOSE TO BE in the world.
And…
I’m going to stop beating myself up and holding myself to the ridiculous standard of perfectionism. It’ll take some work, but I’ll beat it. I’m going to love and accept myself the same way I love YOU.
I’m going to quit looking for validation outside of my own body and I’m going to rock this life POWERFUL WOMAN style.
If I tap back into this way of thinking and living, I’m not going to be bogged down with worry. I’m not going to have time to dwell on imagined scenarios of doom and gloom or even dreams of a happily ever after that may or may not ever be. If I’m present, I’m living my happily ever after each and every day. My cup will be running over, even in the middle of an emergency room with blood and stitches and broken bones. I’ll be full of hope again. I’ll see the bright side of life and the very real darkness isn’t going to feel so dark, because there’s so much you and I can do to make the load lighter for someone else.
I just have to get out of my head and back into my life.
If you can do it, I can do it and the other way around.
Here are a few closing quotes from The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.
“The final way to attain personal freedom is to prepare ourselves for the initiation of the dead, to take death ourself as our teacher.
We have just the present to be alive.
And of course I treat the people I love with love because this may be the last day that I can tell you how much I love you.
The love that makes me happy is the love that I can share with you. Why do I need to deny that I love you? It is not important if you love me back. I may die tomorrow or you may die tomorrow. What makes me happy now is to let you know how much I love you.”
I was told about the benefits of daily Self Care 5 years ago. While I have tasted the sweet fruit of getting my day started off on the right foot with Self Care many times, I have yet to make it a discipline. What the crap?!
5 years is a long time to know that doing this leaves me feeling happier and peaceful (even when life isn’t playing fair) and still not do every day. I guess it’s no different than anything else we know is good for us that we choose not to do, like eating healthy, exercising, budgeting, and so on. What I’m told will happen and I hope to prove to myself, is that by making Self Care a discipline, not only will I have better days more often, BUT I will be able to be more disciplined in other areas of my life by learning to be disciplined in this one.
Here are the 4 thoughts I was taught to spend time thinking about each morning.
1. We live in a miracle.
2. Everything is interconnected.
3. The ONLY thing I can control is HOW I CHOOSE TO BE in the world today.
4. Be gracious with myself.
Four thoughts. That’s it! That’s REALLY easy, easier than eating healthy and definitely easier than exercising.
The other day I was at work, feeling a little low and I decided to turn to Self Care to lift me out of my funk. I started with the first thought WE LIVE IN A MIRACLE, which for me has turned into THIS DAY IS A GIFT. I tried to get in touch with that grateful/excited to be alive feeling but it just wasn’t happening. I didn’t feel like the day was a gift at all. I felt sorry for myself. Here I am standing in one spot for 12 hours, doing a really boring job, and missing my family. The whole day is over by the time I get home. Some gift.
I stayed in pursuit of the feeling. I kept exploring different thoughts and then I hit one.
I thought about Joey Feek, the world’s most famous dying person. She’s truly a beautiful soul. I’m sure she’d like more time with her family and wouldn’t mind working in a factory to get it. She’s not the only one. There are women all over the world and whether they are dying or in poor health, they would do ANYTHING to be able to come home and hug and kiss their families at the end of a long day.
That did it. The “feeling” was there! The THIS LIFE IS A LIMITED TIME OFFER/THIS DAY IS A SPECIAL ONE thought was locked in. I was grateful for my health, for a pleasant work environment and great co-workers. I felt grateful for the opportunity to keep creating my life, to exploring possibilities because I’M NOT STUCK. I have choices. WE ALL DO! Even if we get to a place in our lives where, like Joey, our choices are less and less, we still have one choice left, perhaps the most important choice of all.
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—
to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
-Viktor E. Frankl
Writing this post has me raring to go. If taking a few minutes each morning to do Self Care can help me live each day more POWERFULLY, if it can help me be more present with my family, if it can help me face hard times with more peace, what the heck have I been waiting for?
I’ve been thinking about this for a week already, but it’s time to quit thinking and start doing. Tomorrow morning, I’m waking up 30 minutes early to do Self Care instead of getting thrown into the day.
Here’s one of the first posts I wrote about Self Care way back when, if you want to see more about how I do it.
Do you have a morning routine? I’d love to hear about it and be encouraged by your discipline as I start my own. Leave your thoughts here or on Facebook 🙂
If YOU are ready to experience more peace and less struggle, I’d LOVE to personally go through the What One Person Can Do program with YOU.
This conversation has been conducted in schools, corporations, prisons, and one on one with the program’s founder, Bill Cumming, and other program conveners for 30 years. Space is EXTREMELY limited for anyone wishing to go through this with me. I only have room to work with 10 women, so click HERE to contact me (or Bill) with questions and to grab your spot.
There’s also an online version of the program available HERE. It’s an incredibly affordable option. 12 weeks of support for what 1 hour of counseling would cost! But…and I know this firsthand, even reasonably priced is not an option sometimes, so don’t write this off. Partial and full scholarships are available for those that need them and are serious about going through the work for both the online and one on one programs.
Elizabeth Gilbert wrote a good New Year’s Eve post. Naturally it was about coming to the end of the year and preparing for the new one. She talked about writing things down that you want to put behind you and creating a ritual of burning, burying, or immersing the paper. Ain’t nobody with 5 kids got time to burn pain (or to write a New Year‘s post within the first week of the year for that matter. That’s not entirely true, but it’s my excuse for now, so indulge me.)
She talked about loving the feeling she gets on New Year‘s Eve,
“that the universe has been generous to me, to have let me stick around for another year, and to now erase the slate and give me another chance.
Tomorrow I will be gifted with a brand new year – with no mistakes in it yet, and no heartbreaks yet, and no failures yet. I get to try again. Amazing.
You will be gifted with this huge blessing too. A clean and empty book awaits us all. Maybe we will be able to write things differently this time. Maybe a bit better. Maybe we will be wiser this time. At least we get to try.
We have all been given a fresh chance.
Let’s close the old book, and open a new one.”
As I read her words I got a thrilling feeling thinking about approaching EACH NEW DAY this way (without the burning, burying, or water mess, but if you have time for that, go for it.) But seriously, EACH DAY is an occasion, a celebration, a fresh start, a new chance, a clean slate, a new book. “Maybe we will be able to write things differently this time. Maybe a bit better. Maybe we will be wiser this time. At least we get to try.”
Taking time to reflect on the day we’ve lived, what went right, what we’d like to do better tomorrow, how we want to be, that is Self Care. It’s living intentionally and it makes for a beautiful life experience, one that YOU are present for and fully engaged in. I want to challenge myself to live this way, one day at a time.
I read Liz’s thoughts and had thoughts to add to her good thoughts, so I’m assuming YOU might have some thoughts to add too. Please do! Leave them in the comment section here or over on Facebook.
Happy belated NEW YEAR and a very HAPPY TOMORROW!
Love,
Sarah
If YOU are ready to experience more peace and less struggle, I’d LOVE to personally go through the What One Person Can Do program with YOU.
This conversation has been conducted in schools, corporations, prisons, and one on one with the program’s founder, Bill Cumming, and other program conveners for 30 years. Space is EXTREMELY limited for anyone wishing to go through this with me. I only have room to work with 10 women, so click HERE to contact me (or Bill) with questions and to grab your spot.
There’s also an online version of the program available HERE. It’s an incredibly affordable option. 12 weeks of support for what 1 hour of counseling would cost! But…and I know this firsthand, even reasonably priced is not an option sometimes, so don’t write this off. Partial and full scholarships are available for those that need them and are serious about going through the work for both the online and one on one programs.
Saturday I wrote my most well received blog post to date. (You can read that HERE.) It’s been really exciting! Usually when I share a post it gets 2-5 likes. That’s right TWO – FIVE. This one got over 60! and several people took time to tell me they enjoyed it or that it touched them.
It was awesome to get all of that LIKE love but I couldn’t figure out what I’d done to make this one appealing.
We were all in the living room later that night and Jason said, “Do you know what happiness is?”
I quickly replied, “2,000 views on your blog post!”
He was actually referring to family time, but whatever 🙂
When thinking about why this post was embraced and the others go mostly unread, I decided it was because the picture and title I chose made it look like Jason and I might be Moving On from each other. And so I’ve decided that all future blog posts will be teasers of some sort.
Thanks to all of you that read, liked, commented and shared that post. That really was a treat!
I feel like there’s a lot of pressure in writing subsequent posts now. I sat down for an hour or two last night and tried to write something worth reading. I got nothing.
I sat down again this morning about 9:30 and threw out some thoughts that will EVENTUALLY be posts but it’s just not happening yet.
It’s 11:30 a.m. and I’m starting to freak out a little. I was supposed to go to work this morning but I called out in order to have more time to get our stuff ready to move. Instead of organizing, I’m obviously writing.
Thankfully Jason is out “adulting” so I can finish this post, get dressed, and appear to have been working hard by the time he gets home. Unless one of you talks, he’ll never know.
It’s no secret that I’m unorganized. I’m literally running out of time today. It’s decision time. Will I sit and continue to let time slip by or will I wrap these thoughts up and move on to the next task?
I’ve made a decision. Here are my TIME TO WRAP IT UP thoughts.
No guilt. It’s 100% okay to do something enjoyable, whether or not it makes a larger contribution in some way or produces an income. If it contributes to your personal happiness, that is MUY IMPORTANTE! Nurture yourself. Buy and read that book. Watch that movie. Go out with that group of friends once a month. Take that class. Take time to write. Be good to yourself. It’s been said many times by many people that taking care of yourself allows you to be there MORE for others. I can vouch for that.
You matter too. YOU wouldn’t deny ANYONE ELSE the right to take time for themselves; time to relax, to create, to soak in life. YOUR need for that time is ABSOLUTELY as important as theirs.
Think about the BIG PICTURE for the day and find a balance. – What is the feeling you want to have at the end of the day? How do you want to use your time? Make a plan and go for it! Don’t forget to do nice things for yourself too.
If I think about my day at this point (I’m embarrassed to say what time it is now) and what I’d like to accomplish, then I know what I need to do to make it happen. I can take an honest look at what’s most important to me for the day, when I think about the feeling I want to have when I go to sleep tonight. It might mean I don’t finish this post right now. I know making progress on the house would FEEL GREAT. I know that if I don’t haul butt upstairs and organize, then while I’m at work tomorrow and Jason moves stuff over to the new house, he gets to decide what gets moved and what gets tossed.
Uhm…yeah…gotta go!
I really enjoyed reading your responses to the last post so let’s do that again 🙂
What is it you love to do or would love to do more of? Are you good about making time to do it? Leave your answer here or over on Facebook.
