You Bought The Ticket, Are You Enjoying The Ride?
I've been away for a while and I apologize. Life has been a bit of a roller coaster ride this last month. I started a new job. We are preparing for twins to be added to our 
family. I am desperately trying to help my son and his girlfriend move out of my basement. Trust me that is plenty to juggle...now add church commitments and all the other things my hand has been in recently.
Some months back I talked about the book "The Best Yes" by Lisa Terkeurst. This book gave me the insight and motivation to step back from one or two areas that I volunteer in. I had this plan to dedicate time each week to my blog and that manuscript that is collecting dust. For every area I stepped back in I seemed to have assumed control of another area...that is not the way this was supposed to work. I would go back and read the book...frankly, I do not have the time.
I am pouring a great deal into my new job. I want to learn everything I can. I want to improve the process of our department. I want to improve the customer experience. I want to live up to everything that is expected of me. I cannot give a 100% in every area of my life. There is simply not enough of me to go around. Now is a time to make decisions. Now is the time to protect those few hours for writing. I need to learn that taking lunch is perfectly ok...even if it is just to feel sunlight and breathe fresh air. I have to accept that my answer will need to be "no".
My husband and I have been making efforts to eat better the last several months. For him there are some health concerns and we both desperately need to lose weight. Part of this effort involves more chicken and fish, less red meat. (That makes me want to cry even thinking about it.) One of my favorite things in the world is a good steak, some steamed broccoli or roasted Brussel sprouts and potato (mashed, loaded...whatever as long as it is not a sweet one.) The fact is, in order to reach our health goals, I must eat less red meat and potatoes. I have to trim the fat. This is hard for me with food, but ever so much harder for me with my time.
My challenge to you is to join me in trimming the fat. Not just in the kitchen but lets work together to trim the fat in our lives. Prioritize what you do daily and evaluate what is useless fluff. Streamline where you can. Make time for things that give you joy. It could be the gym, cooking, hiking or going fishing. Make time for something that you can just enjoy without having to put a lot of thought into the process. Create time everyday to just exist and breath. For me that time is when I read my bible and pray. It a quiet time in my morning with no interruption. It sets the tone for my whole day. One the weekends, it is a movie with my husband. We can be close but not have to "entertain" one another with conversation. It is a week night game of Scrabble with my family.
Your craved out time may look different from mine. Allow you protected time to change with circumstances, but be sure to guard it. When life's storms come, you will find peace in those morning devotions and family game nights. Do not be afraid to trim the fat in your schedule so you can live your best life starting today.
Every one of us has purchased a ticket to our very own roller coaster ride of life. Many of us have created roller coasters that would only be dreamed of in Roller Coaster Tycoon - Insane Edition. I had a self-defense instructor that used to say, "he bought the ticket, let him ride the train". He was referring to when we defend ourselves against a threat. Schedule creep is the enemy here. It could be in our personal lives, professional lives or in the scope of our volunteer work. No matter the origin we have purchased our ticket for this ride and it is up to us to make the best of it till we can get things back in line.
family. I am desperately trying to help my son and his girlfriend move out of my basement. Trust me that is plenty to juggle...now add church commitments and all the other things my hand has been in recently.Some months back I talked about the book "The Best Yes" by Lisa Terkeurst. This book gave me the insight and motivation to step back from one or two areas that I volunteer in. I had this plan to dedicate time each week to my blog and that manuscript that is collecting dust. For every area I stepped back in I seemed to have assumed control of another area...that is not the way this was supposed to work. I would go back and read the book...frankly, I do not have the time.
I am pouring a great deal into my new job. I want to learn everything I can. I want to improve the process of our department. I want to improve the customer experience. I want to live up to everything that is expected of me. I cannot give a 100% in every area of my life. There is simply not enough of me to go around. Now is a time to make decisions. Now is the time to protect those few hours for writing. I need to learn that taking lunch is perfectly ok...even if it is just to feel sunlight and breathe fresh air. I have to accept that my answer will need to be "no".
Trim the Fat
My husband and I have been making efforts to eat better the last several months. For him there are some health concerns and we both desperately need to lose weight. Part of this effort involves more chicken and fish, less red meat. (That makes me want to cry even thinking about it.) One of my favorite things in the world is a good steak, some steamed broccoli or roasted Brussel sprouts and potato (mashed, loaded...whatever as long as it is not a sweet one.) The fact is, in order to reach our health goals, I must eat less red meat and potatoes. I have to trim the fat. This is hard for me with food, but ever so much harder for me with my time.
My challenge to you is to join me in trimming the fat. Not just in the kitchen but lets work together to trim the fat in our lives. Prioritize what you do daily and evaluate what is useless fluff. Streamline where you can. Make time for things that give you joy. It could be the gym, cooking, hiking or going fishing. Make time for something that you can just enjoy without having to put a lot of thought into the process. Create time everyday to just exist and breath. For me that time is when I read my bible and pray. It a quiet time in my morning with no interruption. It sets the tone for my whole day. One the weekends, it is a movie with my husband. We can be close but not have to "entertain" one another with conversation. It is a week night game of Scrabble with my family.Your craved out time may look different from mine. Allow you protected time to change with circumstances, but be sure to guard it. When life's storms come, you will find peace in those morning devotions and family game nights. Do not be afraid to trim the fat in your schedule so you can live your best life starting today.
Every one of us has purchased a ticket to our very own roller coaster ride of life. Many of us have created roller coasters that would only be dreamed of in Roller Coaster Tycoon - Insane Edition. I had a self-defense instructor that used to say, "he bought the ticket, let him ride the train". He was referring to when we defend ourselves against a threat. Schedule creep is the enemy here. It could be in our personal lives, professional lives or in the scope of our volunteer work. No matter the origin we have purchased our ticket for this ride and it is up to us to make the best of it till we can get things back in line.
When I went through cancer treatments, doing it all was not possible. Fatigue was overwhelming to the point I was very limited in doing very much. I learned to wake up every day and ask myself, what is the one thing I really want to do today? Try doing that during Christmas and you learn what is important! That Christmas was the year all I could fix was sweet potato casserole for Christmas Eve. You and Jennifer cooked the rest of the meal! Many days I still wake up and decide what is the one thing I want to do today. It helps declutter my day and at the same time helps me to slow day and not just smell the roses but truly enjoy life’s little things.
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