Posts tagged with “busy”
When You’re Busy Looking for Happiness in the Future
“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop. Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot. Seek the path that demands your whole being.” ~Rumi
It seems like there is so much busyness in the world today. When was the last time you stopped to focus on your breath and to truly settle into the moment?
When we’re busy, we don’t always prioritize these precious moments of full presence with our own aliveness.
Being busy can become like an addiction, an urge that drives us compulsively. But what are we really looking …
10 Choices That Lead to a Happy, Fulfilling Life
“Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times.” ~Aeschylus
My twenty-sixth birthday was approaching, and I asked myself one question: “Do I want this year to look like the last one?”
The answer was an immediate and very solid no. I frantically began to analyze what I was doing with my life to get this reaction. I was unhappy for most of twenty-five, romantically, professionally, and socially.
I had been with my live-in boyfriend for about a year and a half, and there seemed to be a growing disconnect. Despite the lies, resulting in jealousy and insecurity, I stayed …
6 Tips to Stay in the Now During Busy Times
“If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
Have you ever had one of those days where you catch yourself rushing and not paying attention to the present moment?
I had one of those days a few years ago.
I had just ordered some coffee at a drive-thru and was waiting for the clerk to open the window.
While I waited, I began plotting my plan of attack for running several personal errands. My to-do list was long, and I knew I was going to need to be efficient if I …
3 Things You Can Start Doing Today to Improve Your Life
“The grass is always greener where you water it.” ~Unknown
Have you noticed that when we’re unhappy we often spend our time focusing on those very things that are making us unhappy?
My life has had its ups and downs, like anyone, but one of the lowest lows was back when I had a graduate job at a big four accounting firm.
I was completely stuck in a rut: I’d drag myself out of bed in the morning, commute to work, spend the day in an office full of people I didn’t like, doing work I found mind-numbingly boring …
Letting Go of Guilt About What You “Should” Be Doing
“Beware the bareness of a busy life.” ~Socrates
It was December 26th. The day after Christmas. Ten days after my daughter’s first birthday. I was sitting on the floor coiling Christmas lights when I began to try to stand up. Almost immediately, I sunk back down to the floor.
I was tired. I was physically tired. I was emotionally tired. Even my soul felt tired.
In that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder, how did I get here? Sitting on the family room floor after two beautiful family events—my daughter’s birthday and Christmas—and my bones, heart, and soul …
4 Things to Keep You Going When You’re Stressed at Work
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” ~Charles Swindoll
I remember working at a job where I absolutely could not do anything right.
This was one of those jobs where it was extremely fast paced and you received 100 tons of work that must be completed by an unrealistic deadline. And here’s the kicker: your time at work was spent in meetings, all day. I’m talking about four to seven hours of your day. You get the picture.
So you may ask when I had time to do the work. Unfortunately, after …
Finding Calm in this Busy, Chaotic World
“At any given moment, you have the power to say: This is not how the story is going to end.” ~Christine Mason Miller
A while back I was completely overwhelmed. I was drowning in conflicting work commitments, our son’s crazy end of term schedule, over-commitment to a volunteer role, and a pounding headache I just couldn’t shift. Everything was about to go seriously pear-shaped if I didn’t do something stat!
Now, if you knew me you’d know I am a “fixer.” So, because I fix things all the time (usually for other people!) I decided to book myself in for …
Are You Too Busy to Enjoy Your Life?
“It’s not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?” ~Henry David Thoreau
I was slipping deeper into a dark spiral after my fortieth birthday, looking for anything to grab onto and pull myself out of the darkness. Some said I was having a midlife crisis, but I believe it was actually the beginning of an awakening for me. For the sake of argument, I’ll call it a midlife awakening.
This by no means meant that I understood the meaning of life and was all of a sudden enlightened and happy—quite the …
Knowing What Matters to You Instead of Living by Default
“It’s not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?” ~Henry David Thoreau
If you are like most people reading this, I bet that you are very busy. We are all very busy. In fact, some of us even like to brag about just how busy we are. But are you busy doing the things that really matter to you?
There was a time when my life when I was busy. I was focused on my career, spending a lot of time at work, and enjoying the fruits of my labor.…
How to Be Happier Without Really Trying
“Happiness is the absence of trying to strive for happiness.” ~Chuang Zi
I sat in the café wondering why I wasn’t happy.
I had been listening to all the happiness and self-help gurus. I was meditating every morning. I ate a healthy diet. I exercised four times a week. I was working hard on projects I was passionate about. I wasn’t wasting time and watching my life tick away.
Yet somehow, as I sat in the café, I wondered how I could have been “doing it all right” and yet everything felt incredibly wrong.
There is no mistaking the feeling …
Why We Stay Busy When We’re Not and The Benefits of Doing Nothing
“Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.” ~Lao Tzu
How many times in a day do you tell yourself you are busy and have too much to do? In a week? In a month?
How many of those times are you actually busy doing “nothing”? You know the “nothing” that I am talking about—the nothing that means you are watching hours of mindless TV, roaming the internet, or playing a game that you can’t seem to tear yourself away from on your smartphone.
I’ve been there and done that, and I still do it sometimes. I know what …
Want More Joy in Life? Prioritize Things You Enjoy Doing
“I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.” ~Joseph Campbell
Because I am self-employed, I often find that my work is my life. There is no off switch when the day is over. Some days I get so caught up in the busyness that I completely forget myself.
While my work is immensely meaningful and enjoyable, I believe it’s important to have other activities outside of work that bring us joy so we can live even fuller lives.
When I get too caught up …
Jump Off the Busy Train for a Simpler, More Passion-Filled Life
“What you do today is important, because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.” ~Unknown
A few years ago I was on the busy track. I was working a corporate nine-to-five job, studying at night, and trying to keep up a busy social life. I thought I was achieving it all by doing so many things at once, but really, I was just burning myself out.
My life was a busy blur. I’d start my weeks feeling tired and end them completely exhausted. Time was a constant challenge. I was always rushing from one thing to the …
How to Reduce Stress and Focus More on What Truly Matters
“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” ~Socrates
Did you ever wish you could just take off from work and get away from it all?
This past summer I had the opportunity to do just that.
I was wrapping up a twenty-four-year career in the Air Force and had saved up two months of vacation time. So my wife and I decided to visit Rio de Janeiro and live by the beach.
The tropical weather was everything you would expect it to be: sunny, warm, and gorgeous.
But surprisingly, the time off gave me so much more.
Being away from …
4 Questions to Help You Know When to Say No
“It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?” ~Henry David Thoreau
A couple of years ago my friends and I went on a weekend retreat to honor our dear friend’s fortieth birthday. It was supposed to be a relaxing weekend filled with yoga and meditation at an ashram in the mountains.
But I had a serious problem with the retreat: I actually brought work with me! As an educator, it seems I am perpetually behind with my grading. And so I brought a whole stack of midterm exams with …
Learning to Enjoy the Process and Stop Worrying About the Outcome
“Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you” ~John De Paula
Remember the Tasmanian Devil?
That crazed Loony Tunes cartoon character spinning out of control, crashing into everything in his path? Arriving in a blur. Leaving chaos in its wake.
That was pretty much me and my approach to “living my passion.”
This is hard to write but here goes (deep breath)…
Not too long ago I was seriously trying to accomplish all of these things at the same time:
- Play in a rock and roll band of middle aged men living in New
5 Meditation Tips for People Who Don’t (Yet) Like to Meditate
“Don’t wait for your feelings to change to take the action. Take the action and your feelings will change.” ~Barbara Baron
I own a series of CDs called “Classical Music for People Who Hate Classical Music.” We know we should like and listen to classical music—they’re the classics after all! But when I actually find time to listen to music, I reach for Mumford & Sons, not Mozart.
Some of us have a similar relationship with meditation.
We know we should meditate—it has so many mental, emotional, and physical benefits, and who couldn’t use a bit of slowing down in …
How I Found My Inner Balance When I Was Tired of Feeling Anxious
“Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.” ~Hermann Hesse
As a child in ballet I was chastised for my inability to capture attitude or arabesque. With only one foot planted on the ground I reached for anything to prop myself up—the barre, the instructor, an unsuspecting fellow tutu-wearing classmate who would then lose balance herself.
My days at ballet were short lived, but my trouble balancing was not. This persisted for decades, through college and into the early years of my marriage.
Now I was no longer …
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