I’ve been working very hard this year to spend more time in the present. That means spending less time worrying about the past, less time thinking about or anticipating the future, and deliberately choosing and focusing on what I do right now. Because, when I don’t, I’m missing some of what is happening in THIS moment – and when I do THAT, I’m less effective and less happy. It’s a challenge. I’m a forward thinker and an anticipator – my son calls me The Queen of Hypothetical Questions (“What if….?”). But I’m trying.
Maybe because I have been so focused on this in my own life, it really stood out for me this summer when I heard something that I hear every year.
About halfway through August, I start hearing a lot of people talking about “when summer’s over” and “when school starts” along with “in the fall.”
“When summer’s over, I’m going to get serious about my ____________.”
“After school starts, I’m going to get back to ___________.”
“In the fall, I’m going to start focusing on ______________.”
“My eating”
“My weight”
“Taking more time for myself”
“Getting more sleep”
“Being healthier”
Does this sound familiar? Does this sound like you?
I used to wait for the perfect time for a fresh start. I still love Mondays and brand new notebooks, for just that reason, but I don’t get stuck in the “waiting to get started” trap anymore. Waiting for the perfect moment is a giant waste of time. All that time I spent waiting was just time living in the future and not being effective in my present. All those big lofty plans I had to overhaul my habits “next Monday” (or next month), were usually too big and ambitious for me to ever stick with. Life makeovers rarely last. The challenge I try to live with now is: what can I do today? or even better, what can I do this hour? Small steps, taken continuously, can yield tremendous results.
Summer’s over, school is back in session, and, in this part of the world, it’s fall.
So did it happen? Are you in action the way that you promised yourself you would be, or are you doing what so many busy women do, which is to continually push themselves to the bottom of their priority lists. Me-time, self-care, focusing on your goals and priorities – are they happening for you or are they still feeling like a “someday” kind of thing?
The truth is, right now we are sitting between “when summer’s over” and “after the holidays.” Our next excuse is just over the horizon. What’s also true though is that we still have almost 100 days left in 2013. We still have one quarter of our year left.
One hundred days is a solid chunk of time when we can all make a significant impact.
What did you promise yourself you’d achieve this year?
What will it take to make it happen?
What will you do today to take the next step? Leave a comment and make your move. 🙂
Take good care,
