Last Updated on April 7, 2023 by Kayla
In a world that tells you to “hustle,” “do all the things,” and “never miss a Monday,” it’s easy to lose yourself in the mix.
Women especially fall victim to the balancing act of managing the family calendar, putting out fires at work, yet they still figure out what’s for dinner every night. No wonder you’re exhausted.
If anything is guaranteed, it’s that things will never stay the same, and with the change in season, comes disruptions to routines and priorities.
If you’re struggling to manage the overwhelm or lack clarity in your daily life, this message is for you. We’ll take a step back to examine how doing the right things trumps doing all the things!
Prioritize with purpose
I recently read Embrace Your Almost^ by Jordan Lee Dooley, which influenced much of today’s message.
On pages 153-154, Jordan references how the word “priority” didn’t become pluralized (if that’s a word) until the 1900s. Before that, priority meant ONE thing regarded as most important.
Nowadays, it seems like everything is deemed a “priority” or seems uber important in the moment.
Consider your current season of life. What is your priority right now? Not two priorities – my clients often try to bargain here – choose only ONE.
Perhaps it’s your health, achieving financial freedom, or fostering strong relationships in your home and community.
Oftentimes, choosing the right priority will influence other areas in your life. By choosing ‘one main thing,’ like your health, for example, you perform better at work and show up better for loved ones. Change breeds change.
Do just enough
When you choose to focus on your ONE top thing, you sacrifice attention for other areas of life.
This isn’t a bad thing, but to prevent overwhelm and avoid burnout, you’ve got to pick something to suck at, as Jon Acuff says in Finish. At a minimum, choose which tasks go on the back burner.
Let’s say, for example, that health is your ONE priority, and your reason is to be more active with your family and stop living life on the sidelines.
Using health as your compass for decision making, you determine to cancel your Netflix subscription and, instead, opt for walks in the evening. You might also decide to minimize stress at work by delegating tasks or saying “no” to side projects that distract you from your ONE priority.
As a bonus, when you stand firmly aligned with your ONE priority and say things like, “No, thank you. That’s not a priority for me right now,” people will respect your decision, and you reinforce your ONE Thing – which is another excellent book by the way!
Forget comparison
Lastly, don’t get stuck in the comparison trap. Embrace your uniqueness.
In a world where we’re told to do all the things because we can, doesn’t mean we should. Just because so-and-so did it, doesn’t mean you have to.
Using your ONE priority as a compass helps set realistic expectations and set up for the life you want to live – not the imaginary glammed-up life of someone else.
Each person lives through unique circumstances and encounters their own challenges. You can’t judge what you don’t understand. You can’t assume a person’s upbringing, mental demons, or personal health issues.
On the outside, everything may look honky dory, but everyone struggles with something. So show compassion for everyone, even if it seems they’ve got it better than you.
Words from the Wise
No one is behind; we’re all just in different places.
Jordan Lee Dooley, author of Embrace Your Almost
Celebrating your success and accomplishments isn’t easy when you constantly compare yourself to others. Life ebbs and flows for everyone – no exceptions, and someone else’s success doesn’t make you a failure.
Think about this. You’re likely in a position that someone, somewhere out there, dreams of. You’re living their dream life — the car, the mortgage, the kids, the career, the perfect mate, etc.
Unfortunately though, you can’t enjoy it because you’re fixated on the next person and what they’re doing.
… As my father-in-law says, “Keep an eye on your own bobber.” 🎣
Yours truly,
Helping women after bariatric surgery lose weight without eating “perfect.” Learn how to balance blood sugar & optimize your “tool” today! Apply to learn more!
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