Spending some time off with Oprah and some Friends 😉
Some years ago, my husband said to me, "honey, we have to build some margin in our lives!"
"What do you mean?" I said.
"Well, we never stop and smell the roses any more."
Stop and smell the roses....It seemed like I was stuck on that one statement. As a gardener, I love flowers, so I began to conjure up images of walking through my garden and smelling each and every flower planted there.
"Mom! Your office is on the phone!"
That scream from my son immediately snapped me back to reality as I ran to deal with the latest emergency. Later on that day the thought about the roses persisted. Over the next few days it seemed like everything I read was speaking to my overtaxed and overstimulated lifestyle.
As a professional who also does a lot of volunteer work, speaking engagements, board involvement etc., I have a lot on my plate. I was also heavily involved in activities at my church. I felt like I was too busy to rest!
Over the next few days I took an inventory of my daily activities. I soon realized there was not much time left over at the end of the day for my family. This was alarming! Where did that time go!? How could I have ignored my family this much without recognizing it?
I decided to take some time out to pray, meditate and really ask God to show me how to balance my life with my work and everything else I had going on.
All of a sudden, random people started giving me advice on work/life balance, prioritizing family, AND smelling those roses!
I immediately made plans with my family and discovered to my delight, the ultimate pleasure of enjoying that time with an undivided heart. The lure of work was less and my stress levels were reduced. The challenge then was to keep the momentum going. I started thinking thoughts like...
"If I had 6 months to live, would work really matter...?"
I was now at peace with what needed to be done to build some margin in my life while upholding my responsibilities. Upon further self analysis, I observed that there were still some habits I had to break. These were my 'Time Stealers'. The number one culprit - Netflix and News! I took action and went on a television diet for a couple weeks to develop some discipline in this area. I replaced that time with reading, playing board games or simply talking with my family.
I discovered so many wonderful new insights into myself and my children that I had failed to see previously. I did not waste time on regrets, but instead resolved to be better. If you want to accomplish anything, you have to be determined and act on that determination.
My daily habits now include morning prayer and meditation to set the proper focus, coupled with exercise and a great motivational teaching. This works for me :)-
If you are reading this and you find yourself where I was when I got this revelation, consider the following course of action.
Stop and Assess
Identify Time Stealers
Take Proactive Steps Now to change your trajectory! It's always better late than never:)
Last, if you don't feel up to praying, please contact us here at the GORGEOUS Woman Movement. We have many sisters and a dedicated pastor who will pray for all your concerns!
Please plan to be in Charlotte, NC for our First Annual GORGEOUS Woman Conference Tour in October 2022! You can get some more information by clicking the button below.
Add some margin in your life by joining us in October! 😊💞
Love and blessings,
Sharon
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