I don’t know about you but towards the end of the year I get jaded. The last few weeks always seem a bit hard and I find myself counting down to a break over Christmas and the lure of the reset a New Year brings. A chance to regroup and a clean slate to push on into another year. It’s also a point I look at what I’ve achieved over this year, I’d set some lofty goals and being ambitious always want to ensure they’ve all been ticked off the list by the end of the year. Usually I’ll make sure of it, in the past even at the cost of my health, juggling many balls in the air making sure none dropped.
These days I try to spend more time being and less time doing, we live in such a busy, driven, over achieving world that it’s all too easy to lose our balance. This might be why so many of us reach the end of the year longing for a break and limping over the finish line.
As I looked at the things I’d not quite done yet and the time left this year, my over committed schedule and the nice to haves I’d like to fit it (yoga, time with my girlfriend, Christmas shopping) I felt a little overwhelmed. I also felt so short on energy that I lost all motivation to even want to do things nice to haves. I couldn’t even get excited by Christmas and the impending opportunity to visit my family, even buying them gifts seemed like an effort I didn’t have the time for and for me this is unusual.
I was so close to launching my online course, my last goal for 2016, and felt pressure to do this to coincide with the New Year and time was quickly running out. I’d had so much else on of late though and a packed travel schedule that I also felt like I didn’t have the energy to even know where to start. I had one free weekend left so I figured I could work 12 hour days to cover some of this off, but then how good would it be, I really ought to be spending more time getting prepared and getting this right I thought. But that would mean not completing this in 2016 as I had set in my goals – this would mean failure!
This is something that’s not normally an option for me but for the first time I allowed myself to fail and be comfortable with that, knowing I’d made the right choice. I made peace with not having to get this done now, the fact that I’d overpromised and not allowed myself time for everything I’d wanted to do. I also remembered that without energy, rest and health how was I going to achieve any of my goals? Self-care and balance really are the foundations for everything we do thereafter.
I’d had a lot of travel of late and needed to reground, I also knew I felt very tired and needed some rest. I’d spent so much time doing that I’d left little time for being and this is so important to my health, not to mention my creativity and focus. So I didn’t work 12 hour days, I let go of the notion of having to do everything and achieve all the goals I’d ambitiously set.
I allowed my overflowing schedule to relent for the weekend and spent the time on what I needed the most – rest, recharge and balance. I used that time to go for walks, sleep in, meditate, rest and recharge, read and catch up with friends and family, I also got some Christmas shopping done and post recharge I feel excited about Christmas and am looking forwarding to spending time with my family overseas, I also feel slightly more prepared! Balance is the key and knowing when to re-prioritise and ensure we always do the things that matter first.
Whilst I’ll set more goals for 2017 I’m sure, as is my habit I’ll be over ambitious and need to re-tweak as we go through the year but this is less about failing and more about balance. Knowing what’s important and ensuring we look after ourselves in the process of achieving our dreams. Understanding that whilst we can do anything we want we can’t do everything and it doesn’t all have to be done now! I’ve also taken the time to reflect on all the things I have achieved this year, rather than just dwelling on the misses.
I suggest you do too as we are always inclined to focus on what we missed rather than all of the little wins along the way. We do have a tendency to over estimate all we can achieve, particularly in the 24 hours we get in a day! I’m learning (slowly) that whilst we can do anything we want, we can’t do everything we want. Realising this helps me re-prioritise what’s in my overly ambitious schedule to make it more manageable and realistic. So as we prepare to enter into another new year I have set my goals but I’ll also know my priorities and when things get busy (as they do) I’ll make sure I manage them, even if that means some have to get re-prioritised and pushed down the list.
The good news is the online course will be out next year and it’ll have had the time and effort put in that it so deserves which I hope brings a better product. I certainly feel like I have the energy required to put into the project now and have also learned another valuable lesson for balancing our busy over achieving schedules with what’s most important.
It’s ok to take time out, to say no, to admit something can’t be done and re-look at our to do list and re-prioritise. In fact it’s often necessary to us being able to carry on effectively and not burn out, particularly at this time of year. It’s critical we prioritise the things that matter and that we find time to look after ourselves, otherwise it’s very difficult to get anything done.