As I sit and formulate my goals for the New Year I reflect back on what 2007 meant to me and how do I visualize the New Year. This year I moved across the country and was able to take the summer off to regroup and recharge. I learned to sit and be still, to contemplate life, and to breathe. I slowed down which was a feat in itself to accomplish as most busy women know. I reconnected with family and friends I hadn’t spent much time with in years and I listened.
What I heard and observed around me was incredibly eye opening because they were me! Those who were rushing from one job to the next, talking intently about how bad the economy and housing market was, saying there was never enough time to get everything done, wondering how their schedules have become so overbooked, always stating that they needed to start saying no more often, complaining about spouses, children, employers and employees, stating “We should get together sometime”—and of course that never happens. Whew … exhausting isn’t it? No wonder so many people are sleep deprived, emotionally spent, physically out of shape and unfulfilled. I say, Stop trying to do it all!
I’ve learned to have a lot of me time and that quitting work at 5:00 is really valuable. I pick up the phone and actually speak to those who I want to connect with, a voice is so much better than an email. I invite people over for dinner frequently, because I enjoy their company and want to stay connected. I never eat fast food, I always sit down and enjoy a meal whether I cook it or someone else does. I keep in contact with those who really are important to me—I now live deliberately, because sometimes there is no time for do overs.
