Brand new
week, fourteen days into the new year, how are you doing? Because of some unforeseen change that I had
to deal with upon reopening for the year, I have found myself working longer
hours than usual this early in the year, yet getting back home and feeling like
I didn’t accomplish much each day. I
always planned to get into the year running with no downtime. So I should be proud that I am able to do so
much so early in the year while most people are still trying to get off the
ground shouldn’t I?
Well, I am
actually worried rather than excited with my progress and the reason is simple…
I found upon reflections this past weekend that I have been busy working on
just one aspect of the dream while every other part has been left unattended
to. And that is the point of today’s
post; how does working on just one aspect of our lives or dream impact upon the
big picture?
I find that
most of us tend to have parts of our lives that are either more demanding or
run a little more smoothly than the others and we consequently spend more time
on those areas while neglecting the others.
The question is does giving 80% to a particular part and another 60% and
yet another 10% make for balanced living?
The unfortunate answer is no, while it may seem like we cannot give the
same amount of attention to every part of our dream, it is important that we
prioritise and ensure that every aspect of importance is deliberately worked
on.
foothillsyarn.com
If for
instance I decide that this year, I will expand the business, which is not a bad
thing to want to do, it is important that the family does not suffer in the
process. However, if in expanding the business I practically now live in the
office and visit the home where my family and those I love are, then maybe I am
neglecting something just as equally important if not more, to chase after a
bigger dream.
Here are a
few tips in ensuring that nothing suffers.
1. Make a list of
all the important aspects of your life (You should have done this at the end of
the year actually, but if you are yet to, it is still okay to do so now). Make sure your list includes, family, health,
finances, relationships etc.
2. Allot adequate time to each spread across each week
that you want to spend moving each of this aspects of life forward.
3. Intentionally give each aspect the required attention
each time its circle comes round. And don’t rob Peter to pay Paul, as we
proverbially say.
4. Take time at the end of each week to reflect on how
you did on each, to ascertain if you may need to make adjustments
5. Ask for help from those around you if you need to be
kept accountable, or just for help to follow through.
6. Keep this routine weekly until it becomes a habit to
go round every single important aspect of your life.
We cannot
allow our health to suffer because we are running a business, otherwise in the
end when the money is made, we may not be strong enough to enjoy the gains. Neither can we spend so much time pursuing a
career while our family hardly sees us, or else we may not have anyone to come
home to upon retirement, when we eventually make the conquest.
While the
business or the dream may be the most visible part of our lives, it can only
run smoothly if we are able to find our anchor both in family and faith. No one man is able to run on his own and make
a success out of it. Our lives have always interfaced and
overlapped with that of others, and there is a major need for us to keep all
the 'spokes' that constitute the wheels our lives spinning
effectively for our own good.
So while I
am almost overwhelmed by how much this one aspect requires, I am going to take
time out to give other aspects their due because I know that every single
aspect requires my attention as well!
No matter
how many balls you are juggling right now, remember that the right thing to do
will be to give equal attention to all that your life is. You will make it NeverTheLess… I promise, you
will.
Hugs
Hmmm, food for thought. After your series of excellent posts at the tail end of last year, i decided to pull my finger out and write a plan for this year. Reflecting on how things are going, 2 weeks into the New Year, i have to say, i'm focusing almost exclusively on building my business. I'm definitely going to come up with a system to pay attention to every part of my life.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
Yes! It is amazing how if we don't deliberately take time to reflect how we may just be on a journey that is devoid of any kind of balance. Great to hear you will reconsider, please let me know how that goes. Love you big!
ReplyDelete