I got up early this morning because I have a meeting in a while and I needed to write before that meeting. Afterward I am going to work and than who knows what tonight holds. My point in telling you my schedule is that I needed to make space to write this morning. I know myself and I know if I do not make the space it more than likely will not happen.
In any of our lives, we have things we are always listing off that we want to do or wish we had more time to do. The simple truth is that if we really looked at how we were using our time, we would see that it's there. We are just not grabbing a hold of it.
I have never, ever fancied myself a morning person. (My parents are somewhere shouting "Amen" to that.) Granted I worked in the coffee industry for years and many times had to get up while it was still dark. But I would always get up with just enough time to get ready and get to work. But when you're up that early, you're also off early and it leaves you the rest of the day to handle other business. So when I switched jobs, I transferred that same attitude about getting up to a job that started at 10:30 in the morning. Not surprisingly, I found myself feeling like my whole day was about work and that I didn't have enough time to get things done or do the things for myself that I wanted to do.
Then I met this reverend who had to get up super early every day for work. But on his days off he also got up super early. When I asked him why he answered, " Because I have so much I want to do and see that I don't want to feel like I'm wasting my days off."
I admit, a light shone in that for me.
So I started getting up earlier on my work days and on my days off. And for the first time in so long, I really felt like I had more time for myself and that my days off were really truly whole days off.
I made space for myself and the things I wanted simply by getting up earlier.
So many times, we think something will happen when it's meant to happen. I do agree with that. But we also need to create space in our lives for those things to happen. We need to de-clutter our lives and get rid of the junk that is merely distraction and not really adding to our lives.
Is that never-ending to do list really keeping you from doing the things you want to do? Are the activities you are filling your life up with just keeping you busy so you don't really have to do the work on yourself you need to do? What is that thing or those things, you never seem to have time for?
If you really look, I know you can find ways to make the time. Try it and see how it feels.
I'm interested to hear what you will make space for.
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I really enjoyed that read Darcy. Thanks. I am constantly setting aside what I need to do for people, whether family or friend. I have always felt that people are more important than to do's. This worked fine in my life before, because I would just get right back to the to do's. But now there are so many to do's I find myself pretending they are not there. Out of sight, out of mind. Then all of a sudden (or maybe slowly built up over years - I just didn't notice) I'm buried. Jon & I are attempting to discipline ourselves more to handle our to do's, but we're making slow progress. I need inspirations here and there, like your message today, to help me stay on track and feel focused. Thanks. In fact, at the moment I am plugging away at one of my hugest to do's. I'm doing the bookkeeping for our 2009 business/personal taxes. A big job. I'm hoping to use the Spring Break week to focus on it and get it done. What I'd really like to make time for is exercise. That is the most tricky for me. I always think I'll start getting up early to do it, but I just don't. If I do it sometime in the day, I'm taking time away from other things that need my attention. Maybe I should make it a habit to get up early. I used to be a morning person. Maybe I can be again.
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