365 Days of Wonderful – Day 148
Today I am grateful for the reminder that it is OK to slow down. On this morning’s walk I noticed some wild roses in bloom… when I went to take a close up photograph, I noticed a bee resting. O… right! Resting is good. I am reminded of the saying “Thousands of bees die every day from pure exhaustion.” YIKES, this is reason enough to slow down.
Any new practice takes time to incorporate, slowing down is no different. I read yesterday (on the Nourish Your Whole Self Community) that it takes 3 weeks to break a habit, 6 weeks to develop a new habit, and 36 weeks to hard wire the new habit. Let’s put that in real time–so you can relate: January 21 = habit broken; Feb 3rd new Habit developed; September 1st – habit is hard wired (IF you’ve stuck with it that long). Wow. That seems like a long time.
I am deeply committed to slowing down–as a life style change. AND I believe that it may well be one of the biggest challenges in my life to date. I have been known to say “Busy people are happy people.” or “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” I get that what I am talking about is rewiring how I see myself, and changing how I show up in the world.
I am the kind of person who does what I say I will do. This means that I create the ad for the quilt guild, write the newsletter for Toastmasters, and get the posters delivered to the ferry for the downtown merchants association. I show up. I roll up my sleeves, and I contribute. I love being a difference maker, and saving the day. What I realize now is that what gets dropped and not done are my things. This makes me heavy-hearted.
I have commented on feeling the stress that my hamster wheel goes too fast. Really, I am a plate spinner. You’ve seen those amazing guys… spinning plates on poles. Yep, that is me. I get one started, start another, and another, and run around and keep the momentum going on each one. And boy howdy, I am here to tell you… that is not sustainable. It is like living in a state of putting out 4 alarm fires all the time.
A vegan friend of mine, was telling me a story about a time when she was live-catching the mice that had invaded her home. She put them in an aquarium, until she could transport them to safety–out in the woods. She added tubes,and cubbies, and finally a wheel. She noticed that there was one mouse that was completely addicted to the wheel. It seemed as if it just would not stop. I stared at her in horror and said, “Oh my gosh, that is me!”
WOW. OK, I want to quilt the hamster wheel. You heard me. I don’t want to be that over-busy person anymore, running and running, and doing and doing. I want to slow down and smell the roses. I want to tend the roses in my yard–slowly and deliberately! Thank you very much.
I did the math. I currently volunteer, in leadership roles for three different organizations. Each of them is a year long commitment. I added up the hours of meetings, board meetings, committees, events, and personal time I spend contributing to each. Each takes about 60 hours a year.. times three. That is 180 hours a year. Divide that by 40 hours in an average work week and you can see that I am volunteering the equivalent to 6 weeks a year.
This is 6 weeks a year that I am putting out energy–not toward my life or my business. If you are astute you’d know that I work full time, so then divide those hours into part time hours and you’ll know that between working and volunteering–there is not much time left for much else… Add that to 3 years of schooling, developing a new skill, and launching a new practice, and I can clearly see why my garden is over run. I am not getting to my projects, because–there’s no time left! DOH! Can you feel my head swimming?! Boy do I need a major life-style change.
For the past four years I have laughed and said that “I needed to move out of state to get out of all of my volunteer commitments.” I think really, I just needed to do the math, and to realize that I don’t have the bandwidth for everything. I need to slow down–today, breathe, and step calmly OFF the hamster wheel. The damn thing is addicting–and not good for my body, mind, and spirit. I am deeply committed to being the Best Version of Me, and that means the version of me that has energy to do what I love. The version of me that is an excellent role model for living a life that is deeply rooted in joy, well-being, health, and happiness.
Looking at the math on the weeks it takes to hard wire a new habit… I know that it will take me till Summer Solstice to break the habit of Over-Doing. It will take me to mid July to develop this new habit of deliberate slowing, and till next March to hard wire slowing down into my way of being. I am taking that hamster wheel to goodwill tomorrow!
Today I am grateful for this amazing insight. I celebrate with my cup of sleepytime tea, in my LOVE mug, and I look forward to embracing a new way of blooming in my life, in a slow and deliberate way… more being less doing. ___________________ 365 Days of Wonderful – a daily gratitude practice for re-framing life with a slant toward the positive. Thanks for tuning in!
I am a Transformational Life Coach, I help people in major transition, life crisis, and health crisis, gain clarity, and personal empowerment, so they are able to go from stuck in a rut–to Wonderful. Learn to listen to Your Heart’s Song, find purpose, passion, and meaning, and calibrate your inner compass toward Joy.
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If you are ready for change in a BIG Way, then private message Monika Adams. I offer a 90 minute Empower Wonderful You Clarity session (in person, by phone, or video call)–it will help you gain clarity about what might be stopping you from having more of what you REALLY want.
Listen to your Heart–heed its call. Now is all there is. ______________ Individual Inquiry: Remember that it is OK to rest. Do you need to embrace deliberate slowing in your life? Are you addicted to the hamster wheel? Do you give to others, and then notice that there is not enough time for you? Are you committed enough to break a habit, develop a new habit, and then do you have the persistence to hard wire it in for 9 months?