When IS enough really ENOUGH?!?
“My son is a senior and heading off to college in the fall. I’ve tried to teach him to cook, do his own laundry, and advocate for himself. But I’m worried sick that he’s not ready.”
“Our office is short staffed. I put in so many extra hours that I’m losing sleep but the work tasks keep coming in. I try to keep up, but my stuff never gets done.”
“I got a call from my 90 year old mom yesterday and she reluctantly told me that she fell this week. She lives in another state and I can’t get my eyes on her, like I want to. I constantly think about what else I could be doing to support her.”
These are real conversations I had with women this week. Do you sense a theme?
This is the refrain so many of us are carrying in our heads…
How do I ever really know that I've done enough?
It’s been a lot lately, hasn’t it?
Do you ever miss the simpler days of Covid, when everyone could just stay home? (No? Is it just me?)
But that’s not the season we’re in right now.
Because I’ve been through enough crazy seasons in my life to know that this too shall pass.
That said, I’ve also developed a few strategies that definitely help keep me grounded in the midst of all the crazy.
Here’s what’s helping me right now:
Weekly Review: On Sunday afternoons, I spend an hour planning the next week with a process that’s called, The Living Fully Balanced Process. Check out The Living Fully Balanced Life Planner, for more details.
Morning Ritual: Every morning, before I get out of bed, I ENVISION how I want the day to go and I think about the tasks I want to get done. I reflect on the attitude I’ll need in order to accomplish those things and then I pray to God and ask Him to guide me.
FIRST 15: I take the first fifteen minutes in my day (after I pour my coffee first, obvi) and just do the thing that needs to get done. I mean, we do anything for just 15 minutes!
Acceptance and Grace: There are lots of things I’d like to be doing, but I also accept that sometimes all you can do… is all you can do. And that’s OK.
Creating ME time: When I design my week, it’s important to make sure that I’ve got at least ONE thing in my day, just for me… just because. It helps me remember that I don’t need to be in production mode all day long.
So, those are some of the things I'm doing for myself.
I don’t know what kind of season you’re in, but if it feels a little crazy or stressful, or you’re overwhelmed with everything you have on your plate right now, please know that you’re not alone.
But also know this: no season lasts forever.
Haruki Marakumi once said, “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”
In other words? It is often during our hardest seasons that we find our greatest strength.
And so, my challenge for you this week is to keep going, and to maybe try one of these strategies if you think it could help.
Practice weekly reviews. Create a Morning Ritual. Pray. Accept the fact that there’s only so much you can do. Give yourself grace and make some time for YOU along the way.
Everything is temporary and transitional.
Make a plan… but hold it loosely.
You’ve got this!
Hugs,
Lisa
.
.
.
P.S. I always love hearing from you—email me at Lisa@livingfullybalanced.com to let me know how I can encourage you this week!
P.S.S. And, if you’d like a system to help you know when enough is really enough, The Living Fully Balanced Life Planner is like a life coach in your pocket. This quarterly planner may just be the difference between feeling frazzled and fried and organized and clear.