I pray your Wednesday was kind to you. It has been forever since I took the time to sit down and share with you. (almost 6 weeks!) I thought I needed a little break because things were getting hectic yet truth be told, it was extended as I allowed myself to focus on the distractions rather than getting to work. A lot has not really happened in that time but also a lot has happened.
This year I decided to check some things off of my to do list that have been sitting there for a while. Thus I decided to focus my efforts on those and allowed the blog to suffer a bit. I have realized that my writing brings me clarity and allows me to get my thoughts together. I actually wrote a complete different draft this morning but now that I am behind the laptop, this is taking a complete different turn. Partially because writing that draft inspired me to complete a task I was procrastinating on and it turned out better than I expected. And by focusing on that small win, I am inspiring myself. Sometimes we listen to the negative voice in our heads or we suffer from imposter syndrome causing us to procrastinate. There have been numerous researches on why we procrastinate and one of the reasons is we doubt ourselves. We talk ourselves out of it before we even begin the task. By focusing on the win, I switched my perspective from being concerned that it would not come out well to embracing that it did and it was much easier than expected. That thought snowballed into me being more productive in an hour than I had been all day.
In general, I feel like we have all taken on a bit more. We have realized or have been forced to realize that life is fragile. The pandemic has shown us that both young and old can die. So we have decided to do better and be better. But we are juggling more in an uncertain environment. We are tired yet every day we push on. Collectively, we need to take a breath. Or maybe it’s just me. This is a friendly reminder that we can’t be everything to everyone all of the time and we need to give ourselves grace. When we begin to feel overwhelmed, a quick prayer and some deep breaths can help. We are capable of being productive, creative, helpful and so much more. We need only to do the next task well and then so on and so on. Do your best day by day.
Death is affecting us all in some way. You may have lost someone, know someone who lost someone or concerned you may lose someone. In an effort to keep going, we may not always process the emotions associated with loss and grief. Grief is a heavy burden and it can knock the wind out of you. We can get caught up in a cycle that does not serve us well and not even realize how long it has been going on. Our routines get disrupted and we adjust for what we think is a temporary time and then that becomes our new routine. I feel like these times call for us to be more aware of and evaluate our routines and habits more often. Are these habits making me happy or am I just going through the notions? Try to do something daily that makes you happy.
Be kind to yourself as well as others. We could all use a little more kindness in our days. Schedule breaks throughout your day to take a little breather. Create small moments of gratitude. There is beauty in everything. Celebrate the big and small wins. You are doing your best and you deserve happiness. Take time to celebrate you! You are amazing! Let’s spread a little more love and positivity this week and who knows, maybe we can lift each others’ spirits.
MotherLovingDiva 