Where do I start? I find myself saying this a lot lately. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of graduation parties, readjusting our summer plans, hiring, firing and getting my Mom safely back to Canada. I’ve been absorbed in the final planning of our annual fundraiser for our non-profit organization, Village in the Valley. Our event had over 20+ sponsors, raffle items, live auction experiences and a scholarship presentation. In the midst of all of this, my oldest son is preparing to go to college in August. There’s so much to do! Where will I ever find the time??
Although we are supposedly living in a pseudo-post pandemic world, I feel like time has sped up. There are more events to go to, more podcasts to listen to and just more things to do every day.
Honestly, social media has been the last thing on my mind. In all of the flurry of my activity, I’ve had to make some decisions about how I choose to spend my time. In the book “Drop the Ball: Achieve More by Doing Less” by Tiffany Dufu, she gives women permission to let somethings go. Now I know some of us feel like we are superwomen and no one else can pack the dishwasher, fold the clothes or take care of your kids better than you… that includes your husband or partner. But the truth is sometimes you just have to drop the ball. Just let it go.
What does that mean?
- Set priorities. Not everything requires your attention. Learn how to let go of some of the tasks that you feel like only you can do and focus on what is really important now. You’re only one person. You really can only do one thing at a time. Decide what that one thing is and do it. Then move to the next task.
- No is a complete sentence. You don’t have to explain yourself, if you don’t want to. I’ve learned the power of saying no to things that I don’t want to do and yes to the things that I really want to do. Need some help on navigating this? Read “Year of Yes” by Shonda Rhimes. This book was a game changer for me.
- Learn to be present. Our minds and thoughts are always going a hundred miles per hour. Slowing down can be one of the hardest things you can learn how to do. Take a deep breath, count backwards from 10 to 1 and then breathe again. Do this a few times to decrease feelings of overwhelm and lean into the present moment.
As I’m sharing this with you, I’ve had to chuckle to myself. My youngest son recently tested positive for the Virus. Trust me, everything I had planned on my schedule came to a screeching halt. I’ve had to put into practice all the things I’ve just shared with you. Perhaps it was a God wink, or the Universe simply telling me to slow down. In order to kick start my summer, I had to slow down. Dropping the ball didn’t seem so difficult when I what is most important was front and center. What things can you drop from your schedule and ease into the rest of the summer? Share in the comment section below.