I always get asked the question, how do you handle everything that you do? You seem like you have everything all under control?
How do you really manage all the madness?
My answer is “I manage as best as I can”
Typical response from a full-time working career woman, business owner, mom of 2 kids and wife. I mean if you are a motivated person and want to accomplish everything you set your heart to, you just do it and keep moving, but at some point the “run, run, run” and how high can I go? does get to you. Something suffers along the way, including your health and overall wellness, and you don’t get to spend your energy doing what you REALLY want to do (like sit by yourself at the beach and soak in the rays :-)…..great visual right?! Maybe not right now in New England…but it’s coming). What I actually mean is taking time to breathe, relax, and soak in the present, and maybe even have some time to actually think about SIMPLIFYING.
Simplify, what a brilliant idea…
Let’s face it, more things to do exist today, life is busier due to “options” and we don’t want to miss that tweet, facebook or instagram post, yet time has always remained the same. We still have 24 hours in a day, 7 days a week, and we still try to cram everything into it. It’s like packing for a trip, you just don’t know what the weather is going to be like or the setting so you try to fit everything in your suitcase just in case (and ultimately because you need options), and then after the trip you realized that you could have done with less and you could have limited your options.
How many times have you said, “I just don’t have enough time” or “I need more time for X”. I bet if we counted how many times we actually said this phrase in a day or even a week it would be too often. I’m totally guilty of this (way too many times), and I finally realized that it’s time to simplify. I then took a look around at my surroundings and saw more signs such as the desk filled with piles (supposed to be my creativity), endless e-mails (thank goodness for search engines), credit card debt (I wanted the points), laundry waiting to be done, overfull closet, a constant pit in my stomach, a handbag full of stuff that I didn’t need, and my daughter saying to me as I was getting her ready for school, “mommy, one step at a time, you’ll get there.“ Wise words of my almost four year old Sophia. It wasn’t ironic at all that her name means wisdom.
The signs were all around me that “managing my madness” became too much to handle, and that I needed to make simplicity my madness. My zippers broke on my bags and suitcase and there was no room, so emptying was necessary. So….I began to let go…the volunteer commitments that I had, I passed on to someone else. The debt that existed, I got help and set up a payment plan, closet got cleaned…things were donated or thrown out, I began to meditate and workout again, and my purse got smaller. This was my way of starting to simplify, and it’s not over yet. Every time I made a decision to simplify, I made a movement towards it and it made me feel good, lighter, brighter and ultimately gave my soul more time to breathe, relax, and soak in the present. I began to feel how less is more and that ultimately it’s making me a better business owner, mom and wife.
The key to all of this was actually listening to myself and paying attention to not only what I was doing, but more importantly how it impacted me and the people whom I love. I finally got to see that it wasn’t about a race to the finish line or winning a competition. It was about accepting today for what it is, embracing all that it has to offer, and that choice is a beautiful thing. Options exist, but you don’t have to do or take all of them, just keep the ones that matter the most to you and you’ll have what you need under your control. Life is about living your life’s purpose and being healthy while you’re at it. If your managing madness, then it’s clouding your way. Think about what you can do to simplify your world? How would simplifying help you breathe, relax, and enjoy life more?
Take it from me, it’s possible.
Connie 🙂
