Hey Bleaders! (blog readers—I totally ganked that from Julie Powell, author of Julie & Julia, one of my all-time faves.)
I’ve been a little AWOL this week, and will probably be a bit ghostly in the blogosphere for the next seven to 10 days. I am totally swamped with work, and I don’t think blogging is an acceptable reason for missing a deadline (unless I can find a way to get paid for this in a currency other than emotional fulfillment.) But, before I step away I thought I’d leave you with this…
I am currently experiencing a bit of...what shall we call it? Ah, yes: Stress. But it’s all good. A few weeks ago work was a little slow (mostly the result of people taking vacations, magazine cycles, and what have you) and I was worried then, too. But things have picked up BIG TIME. And this is what I want. I love what I do, and I want to keep this passion for what I do in the forefront of my mind as I make my way through this mountain of work. Really, there is nothing else on the planet (maybe with the exception of teaching yoga down the road) that I can imagine myself doing other than what I am doing right now. And what an incredible gift that is—to have identified what I love to do and to be able to do it so early on. I never forget that. But the reality is that sometimes, like anything else, it can feel like more than I can handle. In truth, it’s just going to be nuts for the next week or two, but it’ll be smooth sailing after that. (Side note: I'm actually going sailing in a week--how appropriate!)
So, I’ve decided to set some goals for myself during this crazy period to help keep my body and mind in balance. Since identifying balance as my definition of health, I think it’s important to maintain this state of being no matter what life throws my way. I also know that being in a balanced place means I’m better equipped to weather the storm—I can set my anchors and be the eye instead of getting swept away in the storm itself. With this in mind, here are my intentions:
Maintain an attitude of gratitude. When things were slow a few weeks ago, I was freaking out. Now that it’s busy, I’m freaking out (in a serene, uh, balanced way, of course). This is a pretty common situation for anyone who owns his or her own business. But which would I prefer? Simply put: Abundance. So while I may feel the pressure weighing on me to meet deadlines and to do a great job, I want to approach this time with nothing but gratitude for the opportunities I have right now. It makes me laugh because earlier this year I made a New Year’s resolution. It was just a word, actually: Opportunities. I didn’t know what I meant by that at the time, or what form it would take. I just wanted to invite opportunities into my life in 2010 and beyond and make sure that I took advantage of them. Well, ask and you shall receive. In fact, just this year I’ve added a slew of magazines to my resume – O the Oprah magazine, American Baby, Everyday with Rachael Ray, and Parents. Opportunities, indeed! So, instead of feeling any sense of negativity (i.e. stress), I want to get through this time with positivity and gratitude; I’d certainly rather be parked at my computer than twiddling my thumbs! Getting paid to do what I love doesn’t suck either.
Listen to my body and my mind. If I could make each day last for more than 24 hours, I would. But since I can’t, I’m going to have to pick and choose what works best for me. Work is my number one priority right now, but in order to stay healthy and balanced I also need to carve out time to fit in walks and to hit my yoga mat. Most days, I won’t be able to do both. (Well, I always need to walk the dogs, but it’s not always possible to go for an hour-long trek.) So, each day I will ask myself: what do I need today? I will do whichever my body asks for at that time. And, instead of focusing on the thing I am not going to be able to do and feeling badly about that, I will focus on the success of accomplishing the activity that my body craved most.
Do all the things my mom tells me to do. This includes taking time for me (even if that means zoning out mindlessly in front of the TV for an hour in the evening), getting adequate sleep, eating my fruits and vegetables, drinking plenty of water, and all the other advice she’s ever given me. And calling to say hi, of course.
So here I go! I'm diving in! See you soon!
P.S. I already have a bunch of ideas to write about when I resurface, so look for them in the next few weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment