Spring is upon us and as the weather changes and the trees and flowers bloom with color our lives tend to get busier too. There are more activities to enjoy on the weekends, more events, and for some more work. As a self-proclaimed busy bee, I have always enjoyed the buzzy feeling of a full schedule and yet on the flip side if I have too much busy in my life, I get overwhelmed. From the outside it can often look like I just am never satisfied, and maybe that is true. Or maybe I just haven’t found the right balance of it all.
I started this week knowing it was going to be a busy one with appointments galore in addition to work responsibilities. I was of course correct in that assumption, however I often wonder if my thought of “oh boy it’s gonna be one of those weeks…” actually created my reality. (I tend to think it did at least in my perception of it all.) And while I know I can change my thoughts and in turn change my experience of a busy schedule, I still think I could use a bit more balance in life as a whole.
It seems when we have a lot going on something always takes the back seat. One week I am really focused on my writing work, while other weeks I hardly touch it. Some weekends I just want to lounge around the house and re-group, yet if I do many things that should get done, don’t.
Where is the balance???
I have tried making lists, setting schedules, and flying by the seat of my pants and yet at times I still feel overwhelmed. And as I think about starting a business and expanding my freelance work, I am left wondering if I will ever be able to do it all???
And just before I allow myself to fall into the hole of self-pity, I remember this. Balance isn’t something you all of a sudden have. It’s not something you can purchase or wish for and it will appear. It is something you learn…over time.
I often want to say “Bah-humbug!”, because when I want something, I want it to happen right this second and yet I know that isn’t how it works. Just like anything else I am going to have to muddle my way through this to figure out what works and what doesn’t. It may require me to say “no” to a few things or to incorporate more free time into my schedule, but one thing is for sure it will not happen by my complaint that “there just isn’t enough time in the day”.
Instead of focusing on my perceived lack of time to do it all, I am changing my focus. I have even begun saying a little mantra that helps calm me when my feathers get ruffled and I feel overwhelmed. Sometimes taking a deep breath and thinking to myself “It will all get done at the right time.” puts my mind at ease. When I stop fighting with time and simply accept it for what it is, I find I have much more time to get things done and the things that don’t get done can be saved for another day.
I am a do-er and I want to do it all. I often want to throw on my cape and go, go, go until I can’t go anymore, but I know that isn’t what life is all about and it’s not the way we are meant to live. So, instead of being anxious about my schedule or my dreams that I have yet to attain, I will take a deep breath, repeat my mantra and learn as I grow. And just as I have learned to be more patient over the years, I too will learn to create more balance in my life and schedule.
I set the intention and so it shall be.