When your to-do list is long and you feel depleted, how do you deal?
Do you push through to get the job done, possibly sacrificing the quality of your work, relationships, and your health? Or do you take a step back and hit pause to check in with yourself?
The way you and all of us often respond is often unconscious.
You learned ‘adulting’ from your parents, your peers, and society, after all. Depending on the culture you grew up in, your expectations of yourself are deeply rooted. That’s why changing the way you approach the demands of a busy life can feel so challenging.
If you’ve read Simplify Your Wellness Plan, you’ll see that the first step I list is assessing your quality of life.
When you consider all the areas of your life, you’ll find that you don’t have perfect balance in every area. I like to think of each area like waves in a current of water. As life moves forward and you’re faced with different experiences, the flow of energy shifts in each area.
While things like your career and relationships aren’t entirely up to you, the other areas of your life are mostly a response to your focus and intentions. You get to choose what’s most important to you on any given day, and make adjustments from there.
The list of life areas begins with Joy and Spirituality because I believe these two things to be foundational to your quality of life. Whether you realize it or not, everything else you do extends from a desire to feel joy and to be connected to something greater than yourself. It’s been my experience and it’s what I’ve witnessed countless times in others.
So where do you begin to strengthen this part of your life? Start by asking yourself the following questions:
- Where do I feel the most joy in my life right now?
- Where do I want to experience more joy in my life?
- What is my spiritual practice?
- Do I feel like I’m growing in this area of my life?
Simply ask yourself these questions without attaching an action item to them. Write them down on a slip of paper to consider before bed and/or when you wake up in the morning. Allow yourself space for your thoughts and ideas to emerge. What you focus on grows.
Your inner knowing will guide you in what to do next.
Back to your to-do list and the demands of the day ahead of you. Will your response to the events of each day be different if you have a clearer focus on how you want to feel inwardly and spiritually?
We all live much of our lives on autopilot. The beautiful thing is that you get to course correct along the way. By asking yourself the right questions and tapping into the desires you have for your life, your journey can be so much sweeter. The cherry on top? You’ll spread the goodness to those around you.
Tell Me:
What you put your focus on grows. What areas of your life are you wanting to improve? What’s one small change you’d like to make happen this week? Tell me below in the comments.
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Blessings,
Sheila
