Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers…”
– William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
“Tis a gift to be simple, ‘tis a gift to be free…”
– Elder Joseph Brackett (1797-1882)
You don’t have to be a Shaker or a Trancendentalist to appreciate the wisdom of those sentiments. We burden ourselves with possessions and grudges and self-inflicted worries. Imagine living with less stress, junk and distractions.
It’s time to down-shift and de-clutter our lives -- and make a conscious decision every day to get out of the ruts we get ourselves into.
Do you have a co-worker who secretly drives you crazy? A sibling or child who has you on speed-dial when they’ve messed up again? A “fair weather” friend who cries on your shoulder endlessly but is never there for you? If you really think about it, they interfere with your life because you let them. At work, at home, or out socially, learn how to just say NO with a smile.
Your blood pressure is at stake here – do you really deserve to be in constant turmoil because of others’ behavior? Lower the boom and say (over and over), “Sorry, I’m busy right now,” or “Sorry, I can’t do that for you,” or “Sorry, my budget doesn’t allow for that.”
You well deserve time to yourself to day-dream, read a book, finish that project, take a bubble bath or a leisurely stroll without someone or something sinking its claws into you. Don’t let someone else’s non-emergency problems highjack your priorities.
And, could you survive a day – or an hour – without your cell phone, or computer, or credit card, or bringing work home? Scene: you’re having a much-needed heart-to-heart with your troubled teen – and someone’s cell phone chirps. Or: you’re picking up the dry-cleaning and some last-minute groceries on the way home, and you’re already thinking about the presentation you have to make tomorrow and so you forget the hamburger? Or: you’re late to your son’s awards ceremony because you couldn’t escape from some co-worker’s retirement party.
Think about it. These are choices you made, and you’re responsible for the collateral damage, pure and simple. Take a deep breath and focus on what’s really important at a given moment. It doesn’t matter how many things you can juggle – it’s which ones you did well when they needed doing.
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