I’ve gone and done it again … I thought by now, at midlife, that I’d kicked the bad habit of saying “Yes.” I thought that I’d actually reached the point of finding balance between the work I love and the life I love. Hell, balance is what lifestyle living is all about right?!
Well, here I am once again, at a place of imbalance; working more than I want and loving it, but also seeing how my inability to draw solid boundaries is causing my work to creep into the sacred spaces created for my family, for my friends, and for me.
It started out innocuously enough, just adding a few more clients to my growing list. And then a few more, and then, well, a few more.
I told myself that it wouldn’t be a big deal to open up another day on my calendar. It would only be for a short time. And then I added another half day. And now my schedule is beginning to feel like it’s no longer mine, my balance is thrown off, and I’m not able to reel it in. It’s manageable in the short term, but dangerous in the long run.
Along the way I lost vision of what saying “yes” was saying “no” to.
“No” to that 4-day backpacking trip with my family
“No” to mid-day walks with the dog
“No” to nurturing this community of men through regular posts
“No” to clearing out time to rebuild the deck on my house
And the list goes on …
It’s hard not to say “Yes” when we’re building a business, when we love the work that we do, when we feel that surge of success.
But our kids are only young once, summers are short, and downtime is precious for re-energizing and reconnecting with ourselves and our families. I love my work as a coach. I love helping people transform their lives in significant ways and changing the world one opening at a time. It’s magical. It’s what I’m here to do.
I also am on a journey to discover what balance looks like in my life. And I recognize that it changes, is constantly in flux, and like a garden is in need of constant tending.
How’s the effort towards balance going in your life?
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