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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Do Less, BE More!

When I had my first daughter, Allison, my world completely changed.  I think most people with children would say the same thing.   I devoted myself to her care which meant many hours in the rocker, nursing her, smiling at her, talking to her, and holding her.  I soaked in every sigh, every yawn, every smile.  My little angel slept in half hour increments and only slept longer when I held her, so even though it was kind of difficult to sit in a chair for two hours at a time, this was how I found peace in my day, even if it meant a sore butt!  Sometimes I had to force myself to let it all go...the dishes, the laundry, the shower (haha!  If you've ever been a new Mom, you know what I'm talking about!), and "just be" with my baby, feeling the love and blessings that I had been bestowed. 


                                                               Allison sleeping in my lap!

 
We live in a society that craves instant gratification.  We're constantly multi-tasking, sometimes to a fault.  Don't get me wrong, I think the art of multi-tasking is an important and necessary skill.  It's important to know how to prioritize, juggle tasks, and complete things in a timely manner.  However, when you multi-task so much and you can never enjoy the moment you're currently living, you fail to recognize the beauty of life as it is, right now.  Taking the time to sit in a rocker staring at my baby made me realize...this is what it's all about!  Life is too precious to keep living for tomorrow.  I was doing less, but "being" more, and as a result, I felt more fulfilled.

Another way to look at Do less, Be more, is to eliminate the unnecessary aspects of your day and focus more on the greater priorities.  By doing this, you will become better at what you're choosing to do.  I used to make TO DO lists with a hundred million things on them and would feel frustrated and disappointed if I couldn't get everything done.  DUH!!!  Did I really think that I could accomplish all those things in the short amount of time that I had?  Well, yes, as a matter of fact I did, but again, it was very unrealistic and I was coming up short way too much for all the effort I was putting in!  When I do something, I want it to reflect my best and if I'm stretched too thin, there is simply not enough of me to go around to do things very well.  Now I limit my To Do lists to 5 items.  These are the 5 things that are the most important and if I accomplish these things, I am happy.  Do I do more than five things in a day?  Well of course, but I don't treat everything like it's top priority anymore, because it's not.  Another trick is to circle the most difficult, pain in the butt task and tackle it first everyday.  This way it's done and over with early in your day, and you can feel good about your accomplishment.  Make your list at night before you go to bed and you will start your day knowing exactly what your priorities are and what you expect to get done.

So if you've ever felt overwhelmed, stressed, or frustrated and you took some things off your plate by eliminating or delegating them, would that open up some time in your day to "just
be?" Even if it's just 15 minutes, a half hour, an hour... to chill, enjoy the moment, daydream, appreciate life, enjoy your family and friends, laugh...  Try it!  Remember, Do less, Be More!  And make sure you let me know how it goes!!!

Love to you!
Kristie 

4 comments:

  1. Excellently written, Kristie! Very encouraging as well. Love and miss you.

    Marci

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  2. I love this! But boy do I need help in this area lately! Thanks for putting this out there. You have just influenced one person to have a better day!

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  3. Thanks for sharing beauty!! You have encouraged me today!! Love you!

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  4. ahhh Kristie!! I am soooo bad at this, so starting today, thanks to you....I am going to make a list the night before!!!! Love you!!

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