an euphonious keeps you smart
Essential Ingredient #2 – Take charge of your life
Happy New Years to you all. May this New Year be blessed in everything that you do! “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” (Annie Dillard)
This week’s story is about priorities in your life. On a winter morning the love of ones life from the love of her life, 120-proof vodka passed away. The two had been apart for many years. When cleaning out the apartment an unfinished letter was found in the typewriter. “Don’t be afraid,” it read. “You are a survivor.”
Yes, we all are survivor’s, but is surviving the only thing that we want to do? Who did I use to be? What happened to the person I once was that had dreams and was alive when I would live out my dreams?
Our story continues on to a visit to the career counselor several times. The tests that were taken showed the individual scored highest in writing and creative arts. However, the individual was winning many awards at her civil service job and was up for another raise. At the age of forty it would be crazy to leave that job to pursue something she loved to do. The counselor encouraged the individual to write after work hours, find more ways to express yourself in your writing.
Still going to the government job he/she had day after day, while finding other outlets to enjoy her hobby. She finally joined the church choir, which everyone was pleased to have her onboard. She loved going to church choir. The alto next to her one day said, you have such a free spirit. In addition to joining the church choir she began selling pieces of her hand-thrown pottery. In addition, she began writing feature articles for local publications. One friend stated, “I wish I had the courage to send in what I had written.”
Being free spirit, talent, and having courage – what a fraud she felt like. Only if she really had courage she would say to herself. If she really had courage she would quit the job she hated and devote herself to full-time writing. However, fear came over her wonder what if that and what if this.
Christmas was here and she was not in the holiday spirit. She hid in bed cursing her many talents – feeling stuck. She new that her job was interfering with her real work in life – writing.
That night she was cursing her talents her bedside phone rang. It was a friend from the church choir telling her that the alto next to her had just committed suicide. While attending the memorial service she had remembered what the alto had said to her – “You’re so free….outrageous…..courageous.”
At that moment she knew that if she did not follow her own calling that she may follow the same path as the alto – suicide. Things that kept coming to her mind where – know thyself, be true to yourself, have the courage, do or die.
Finally, she put in her notice and started cleaning out her office. As she was cleaning at the 10 years of service she became overwhelmed with many of what ifs.
Working for yourself means many hours of work. Writing alone does not pay the bills. However, she never looked back nor regretted leaving her job. Waking in the mornings she is excited about her work, whether it’s writing one of her columns, meeting article deadlines, teaching college writing, or coaching other writers. She took the leap of faith and now is enjoying life to the fullest.
Life Lesson #1 – Evaluate Your Priorities
So many women live their lives by these small little quotes – I have to keep up, I am what I do, I have to push myself, I have to prove my worth, I have to keep going. Why not just live life as it was created for you to live it.
There are many women who just want to get through the day. However, we all live our lives on autopilot. One rarely stops enough to consider how you spend your time or energy. Not knowing if your priorities match your reality and your values, you will continually be out of synch with yourself.
“Living a priority-centered life means balancing responsibility to others with responsibility to oneself, obligations with enjoyment, work with play, activity with rest. It means finding a natural rhythm to your day-to-day life that will support an atmosphere of fulfillment. It means getting your priorities straight.”
Take a look at what a typical day or typical week you have. Think about how you spend your time. How much time do you really devote to your family? How about your health and fitness? Religion and spiritual pratice? Work? Personal interest and hobbies? Social Time? Finances? Friendship? How you spend your time will reveal your priorities.
You may just find out that your priorities are different from what you actually do in your daily life. Now is the time to get honest with yourself and see what your life is telling you. Is your life balanced? Are you overextended in one area? Is there an area what you’re neglecting? What percentage of your time is devoted to caring for others? What percentage is spent caring for yourself and doing things your love? Are you in synch with your core values? Are there any adjustments you need to make so that your life more closely reflects these values?
As women we do everything for everyone else. It is time that we start balancing the wishes and expectations of other people with our own needs and desires. Hold your priorities sacred. It is time to invest your time and energy in what it is you value most.
Food for thought –
If you had only a year to live, what would you do differently? It’s time to take action. Whatever you’ve been waiting to do – just do it!
God bless you all! Have a wonderful week
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