Busting Burnout (Part Two)
It takes courage to stand up for your time. To make the decision about what’s most important, and then live like you believe it!
I know this too well, because something like this -- writing words that mean something rather than just pointing to a pretty hair pic and captioning it “Going blonde for Spring!” -- is something I have stopped to prioritize AT THIS TIME so that I can stay devoted to my True North, which is to uplift and encourage (mainly) women who question their value and struggle against overwhelm, while practicing a skill that fuels one of my long-lived passions, writing!
Your One Thing or True North is allowed to have multiple venues or facets to it. But we must decide with purpose what each of those extensions is and how to bring them to fruition through the alignment of all the moving parts. They need to work together. The more clarity I get on where I am headed, the less daunting the task list becomes. That means 80% or more of my time is going toward the activities I choose and love to take part in. Now, that’s definitely an average, ok? Every day isn’t that optimal. And some days are above average! But that’s what’s great about the clarity point. The days that are a slog to pull through stand out like a flaming building. They are a big warning sign for me -- not a way to exist -- that if I have more than a day or two that drive down the morale, it is time to be still and recenter.
I recently had the joy of getting out of town a couple times for education, and these were brief but necessary breaks for both my emotional health and for that of my business. To step outside of the machine and observe more objectively how it’s working (that goes for home, too!), I can see to determine what can be done to make it more effective in its purpose. My kids and husband get more intentional time and my salon team is empowered to make more decisions on execution when I don’t micromanage HOW everything gets accomplished. How beautiful it is to be “non-essential” sometimes!
It’s easy to say, “There’s no way I can just drop all my responsibilities and bail on the people who count on me just so I can take a break!” I have to urge you to stop a moment and look at the economy you’ve set up around you. Is there any space left on the calendar? Have you scheduled intentional “me time” or some sort of white space that allows you to pull away long enough to tend to your spirit, your body, your passions? To say “I don’t have time” just means you haven’t made time. You allowed other people or obligations to dictate what lands on your agenda and absorbs one of your most precious (and nonrenewable) resources.
In Part 3, I’ll share some strategies for how to begin creating that white space to bring more harmony into your amazing life. -- And yes, it can be amazing. When you decide there is nothing that will take you from the trail you were meant to blaze!
Your friend,
Mags