Play…Pause…Reset

Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”

Maya Angelou – Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now.

Play

Do you remember the cool Energizer bunny in his sunglasses, who kept beating his drum at rapid-fire pace?  He slowed down after a while and then came to a complete stop. Soon he was at it again after someone had replenished him with Energizer batteries beating his life away on the drum.

That was me until a few weeks ago. There was no longer life in my batteries and I needed to recharge. It was time for a solo trip.

I was just going, going and going. There was always that one last chore to do, that one last lesson to prepare, that one last dish to clean, and that one last piece of laundry to fold.

Let’s face it, there’s always something to do. When will it end? There are two answers to this question, when you die or when you decide it ends. I choose the latter. The sleep deprivation, crankiness and irritability do not look well on me. When I am eulogized, I want it to be said that she did the things she loved and lived a full life rather than she was the best employee.

Pause

The world is awash with buzz words and phrases about self-care, you can’t pour from an empty cup, take care of yourself so you can take care of others, and the list goes on. But don’t let anyone determine what that is for you. You alone get to determine what that looks like.

For me it’s time away and time alone with myself. I do it often but not often enough. I look forward to spending time with myself, to think, to learn and understand the woman I am becoming.

Lee Krasner says it best:

I need to be alone for certain periods of time or I violate my own rhythm.

Now if this is not your cup of tea, that’s great and instead you prefer a game night with friends and family. Whatever floats your boat, do that. You know yourself best and you know what works for you.

Reset

• Be kind to yourself.
• Love yourself.
• Take a moment to enjoy a moment.

Prioritize everyday what is important and do that. Everything else can wait.

The time-management gurus say there should be three (3) top-priority things on your to-do list every day. Imagine that, three!  On a good day I have fifteen things that I need to do.

Tell me, on your priority list, how much time do you spend doing things you love?

Do yourself a favour and start focusing on those things more.

Tell me some of the things you do when you must hit that pause and reset button. I would love to hear from you.