The Gratification of Busy-ness
My new year has been hectic. On January 2nd I drove to Los Angeles, prepped for a retreat I was hosting, and attended a gallery show. The next 3 days I taught the retreat. The day after that I filmed an educational DVD. That night I took a redeye to NYC, shot the whole next day, and then flew home the next morning. Now I’m home and looking back on my first week of the new year and I feel two things:
I am grateful, and I am stressed.
I value calm. I value being centered and balanced. Being busy is great because it is often a sign of life moving forward. But sometimes we put too much value on being busy. I am guilty of this. I send out a tweet listing all the things I have to do. I let others know that my life is constantly moving…and why? To compensate for something? To make my life seem bigger than it is?
I don’t value being busy in this way. I don’t like doing things for the sake of doing them. I am most inspired when I am home with my other half. I am most calm when I can sit and think and write and shoot and edit. I am most inspired when I’m not rushing around airports or scheduling the next thing in my week.
I think that we put too much emphasis on how busy we are, but not on how productive we are. Have you ever heard someone list all the things they had to do in their day? Often it will start with: Well I got out of bed at 6 o’clock, and then I put clothes on, and then I drove to the coffee shop and ordered coffee for my coworkers, and then I had to be at work by 8…
And all of that listing to say that someone drank coffee and went to work.
I am guilty of this. I hear people talk like this. And that is okay – we are all feeling stressed at some point and we all need someone to say that they understand, or that you’re doing a great job. But at what point do we start to place real value in those lists, to the point that having a lot to do is more valuable than the things you’re actually doing? At what point does our stock in being busy outweigh the actual living of life?
One of my goals for this year is to not be as busy. It might mean I make less money. That is something I would have to accept. It might mean that I make fewer “industry connections”, but does that really matter? I’m not one for networking, I’m one for living. Being busy is great, but to a certain point. Everyone has their own idea of how busy is too busy, and now more than ever I know my limits.
If I looked back on my life would I be able to say that I lived it exactly as I dreamed? No, probably not. And not because I am unhappy in any way, but simply I feel the need to be home more. I feel the need to spend more valuable time with my loved ones, and treasure that time in the moment. We all put emphasis on different things that are important to us. Being busy should never be something we put emphasis on, but instead it should be about the things that keep us busy – our passions – that we feel most connected to.
What are your thoughts on being busy? Are you too busy or not busy enough? What is something that you think you could use more of in your life to feel more fulfilled?
52 thoughts on “The Gratification of Busy-ness”
I always find my life is not as busy as I expected. I really do wish to be more busy than I’m now and be more productive, however, i don’t really know what comes ahead. Plans changed and other things happened.
Well, anyways, I still grateful for what I did now and will keep developing myself to a better one 😀
I love your spirit Natalia! To let things happen and take it as it comes.
I understand. I am not a busy person and I keep it that way, because once my schedule fills up, no matter what it is with, I start to feel like my time is being stolen from me. I keep my life pared down to the necessities, work, family, art. If I have to keep appointments and run errands, it stresses me out. This is how I know I could never live your life, glamorous as it sounds. I’d go mad. 🙂
Love the image Brooke, and love the inspiration!
Tara
Tara, I feel just the same way – As though sometimes time is being stolen. And you know what? The biggest thing in my life combating that right now is this blog. I get to sit here and read comments that make me swell with joy and know that this is my peaceful place, so thank you for writing <3
I think it’s also because people think that if you are busy, you are succesfull. Succes is not based on how busy you are, but may be seen that way by others. If you have a day without plans or meetings, does that mean that you have no succes? Absolutely not, of course not! And I think that it’s more to do with what people from the outside see as succes, it does not equal being busy áll the time. I am sometimes super busy, but in my head, planning all the ideas, shoots and edits. Ordering your thoughts, that’s also being busy.
But of course it is good to be busy, but the thing is to not let it get to you. Take the time you need, don’t rush it, that is a lesson I’ve learned in the past year. You can’t do áll the things on your list in one week, you’ll have to plan and stop it from overwhelming you. Well that’s kind of my thoughts on being busy. I love the way you address these kinds of things that all of us can relate to and we can help eachother out with how we think and see these things, <3!
I love your thoughts Lieke – they mirror mine at the moment, trying to internalize all of these things and take them to heart 🙂
Love the image above. Just normal life with work and family is often hectic. With yoga and meditation I can ground myself. I find just being me for 15 or 20 minutes can put life in perspective.
Gary I love that – “just being me” – what a great thing to do that we surprisingly forget about.
Brooke, this really speaks to me. Over a year ago, I left a good paying job because I was so unhappy there. In doing so I had to sell my beloved BMW, cut down on shopping sprees, and focus more on what makes me happy. Although I would love to be a little more busier in my photography business, I know that it will fall in place one day. As long as I have my camera, any other material things just aren’t important to me anymore.
xoxoxo Julie
I hear that Julie, for sure. You do seem happy and I am so glad for that. It can be so hard to leave what you know behind – good for you for being so brave!
Thank you for the insightful post. Love the image too! The issue of busy versus downtime has been at the forefront of my life for many years: There was a time when life was difficult even though I wasn’t busy at all. A dear friend advised that instead of focusing on the things that weren’t working, concentrate on putting my energy into the world and see what comes back. It was good advice and many wonderful things have flowed from keeping that perspective.
I do find it to be a constant struggle to find the right balance. Sometimes I’m not busy enough and feel that I’m wasting time and then I over-schedule and find myself too busy without a moment to myself. I think the key for me (and my challenge) is making sure that when I’m busy, I’m doing things that are rewarding, positive and uplifiting. That way even if I am constantly on the go, and don’t have a moment to sit and reflect and recharge, my energy is being spent in a good way and will ultimately flow back.
I completely identify with you Russ – I am learning the same lesson, that when I am busy (which I am always grateful for), I need to be doing the types of things that keep me feeling positive and fulfilled. Thank you so much for writing, I appreciate it a lot!
My problem is I’m plenty busy but not productive enough! I am a perfectionist and if an image I create doesn’t meet my “standards”, I abandon it and start over. I need to relax more and take my time, otherwise it isn’t any fun.
I’ve been concerned about you Brooke, that you are working too much and stretching yourself thin. We all love you and your work.
I hear that Charlotte! And wow thank you for saying that! I had no idea that anyone noticed, which might sound silly, but still…I appreciate it so. I am extremely happy literally all the time so I’m good, just need to spend more time at home feeling centered 🙂 I’ve got a couple trips coming up that I get to have a lot of fun on, so I’m pretty excited about the future.
your point of being productive over being busy…is profound. Thank you for writing this and sharing your insight. I really love what you have to say and it’s something I definitely need to hear. It’s actually such a gift to be busy with what I love..every day. But I need to see it that way and not allow myself to become overwhelmed by it. And also not allow myself to always bring it up publically with people in order to compensate and make my life seem more exciting than it is.
feel the peace, but also live in the heat of the moment and focus on how i can further improve my productivity…:) These are great meditations for the new year. Thank you, Brooke!
I completely understand everything of what you said and yes, great to be busy with what you love, but always good to remember to stay centered.
I am always worried about not doing enough. When I shot one photo by week, I wanted to shoot 2 and then when I shot 2, I wanted 3. And then I want to do something different, I want to expose my work … To being busy is to have the impression of doing something with my life. But every time I’m alone, I doubt. Where do I go? What am I doing with my life? Why it takes so long? I am not enjoying the travel, by being busy I focus on the end of the road. We have the impression that when everything will be done, we will be happy but no, we will find something else wrong which needs to be fix or done.
You post reminds me the important : to do what I love to do and stop worrying about what others would think.
You have no idea how much I agree with this. It doesn’t matter if we cross everything off of our to-do list…we will find more to fill it.
I hit the pause button about 3 months ago by quitting my full time job in retail. It’s been the most interesting time of my life and I’m learning so much about myself every day. I still have a distance to go yet but it’s all part of life’s journey. I’m so pleased that I see your blog and the community you have built up because I feel like it speaks directly to me and is a beacon of light showing me that I’m on the right path and that I’m not the only person who feels like this! Thank you 🙂
Oh Kate wow, how amazing of you!! To be on this journey of finding yourself. I always have to remind myself to do the same, no matter what is going on: to take time daily to remember that this is all a journey and we can make the most of it. Thank you for your kind words – they are cherished.
I want to get out of the house! There’s no “thinking” here…too much noise…LOL
I think the human spirit has such a strong natural tendency for ONWARD & UPWARD – do more, do better. Do more. It can be hard to step back from that and reflect on what we really *want* from life – AND to understand that what we want will continue to change as we go through life.
I think the greatest year of my life was when a job suddenly up and ended, leaving me jobless. I spent the next two years getting by by the skin of my teeth BUT – had all the free ME time I’d always dreamed of. And that was wonderful. I’m still paying the price financially (ha), and yet I still feel that was the greatest time in my life.
Now I’m WORKING towards getting back to a similar place (mucho debt dictates that I must work for the man for now)…but…yeah. That year I had time to THINK. and DREAM. and REFLECT. and TRY. Things I don’t have or make the time for now. I struggle w unplugging and having thoughtful time. But I struggle Onward & Upward 🙂 and I hope that someday I’ll find the balance.
I hope you do, too.
That is so wonderful that you had that time to reflect, and that now you know yourself better than ever. How inspiring!
I think lately for me, busy has been under the microscope for a while. My life is compartmentalized in little boxes of doing. There’s all these pieces of my creative and ‘real’ life that seem to not want to mesh and being busy sometimes feels like running from corner to corner of my life straightening up the boxes so that nothing tips or, heaven forbid, falls and then they all come crashing along.
It’s one of my goals as well, Brooke, to be less ‘busy’ and more productive and reflective. I feel like when I am too busy, trying to hold on to too much, that my art suffers, and I suffer. My heart can see what it wants to see and I am stifled, frustrated and moody. That’s no way to live a life, and it’s certainly no way to encourage creativity.
I’ll be slowing down this year, and beyond. Savoring and paying attention. As usual, your inspiration comes at a wonderful time.
Yes I understand that all too well. We can encourage each other this year, periodically checking in to make sure we aren’t doing too much…and perhaps even knocking a few less needed boxes over from time to time 🙂
That is such a beautiful picture! I don’t think I’ve seen it before. I love it.
I’m wondering – you mention that being at home is what you need at the moment, but I also know that sharing your work and interacting with people makes you happy (and also keeps you busy), so does that mean you’ll be doing less of one thing that makes you happy to be able to do more of what makes you.. happier?
If that doesn’t make sense at all, just ignore me haha.
Sometimes I feel like I’m too busy, and other times I feel like I’m not doing what I want to be doing. I’d never quit my job, but it does come in the way of something I’m more passionate about (photography). That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy it though. There are days when I wake up and think, I’d much rather go out and shoot than go to work. But I try to make up for that by shooting later in the day or in the weekends. I think I just need to find some sort of balance, which I know is attainable, but I’m still struggling with it – because one of my other passions is reading. So between work, shooting, and editing, it’s hard to fit in reading time. Also, I really need to get back to exercising. Oh god, typing all that made me anxious! haha
Hi Amani! Hehe I hear what you’re saying. I adore all of it…and that is why it is such a hard choice to make. I love interactions. But I need fewer yet more meaningful interactions. So I’ll be traveling less, but trying to make sure that my time spent out and about is more rewarding for everyone involved. This is one of the main reasons why I put short workshops on hold this year and am only hosting retreats – it allows for more time to connect, so that my trips are spent more meaningfully.
Don’t be anxious!! Celebrate the fact that you understand what your passions are. Not everyone does. You will find the time, just like you do for photography. I have all the faith in the world when it comes to you.
Where do I even begin? I relate 100% to this busy-ness. That has been my life for many years, and I’m not so sure i’m very proud of it. I’m always on the go, full-time job and trying to expand my photography business on the side (which would be during most of my “free time”). I’m always traveling, for work and pleasure… Traveling and photography are two of my greatest passions, so as soon as one trip is finished, i am thinking about the next…. And when I come back from a trip, I usually have tons of images to review and edit… And I spend all of this time doing that, and what do I do with them? For the most part, nothing except post a selection on Facebook. All that time just to post on Facebook, when a random handful of people might actually take the time to look at them and comment. (I know FB is not the way to go…and I’ve been wanting to build a website and start a blog as well, and even though I think about these to-do list items all the time, I keep getting distracted with a million other “little” things.
So it’s also about choices….what I choose to “invest/spend” my time on… I would rather “invest” than “spend” time, as it is a valuable, non-renewable resource. Once it is gone, it is gone. I can’t get a 2nd job to “earn” extra spending time. I need to focus my attention on priorities and not get distracted by “busy-work” (work that really gets me no where, and is a time-spender). And in order to do this, I need to really know what my priorities are. But…this requires me to slow down and think differently, and I don’t know how to slow down.
Just the mere “thinking” makes me busy, it preoccupies me from other things. I am a walking to-do list. I will go from the kitchen to the front door, and the to-do list is running in my mind; it is going non-stop. I have to-do list notes on the kitchen counter, on my computer screen, in my calendar and written on my hand. I guess feel a sense of accomplishment when I can cross things off my list; I can actually see it on paper…but what if those things are taking away from the more important things that i want to accomplish? That’s what is happening.
The more important things sometimes are bigger to-do items (like building a website)….and I don’t even know where to start…so instead of moving forward with that task/project, as long as I have other things on my to-do list in the meantime (and i always will), I will shelve the website (the important thing) and wash the floors, or go to the store to pick up paper towel, or take the recycables out. I will do this, because I can see the results of my efforts much more quickly…I can see things crossed off my list. While the website and blog still remain….
I could write forever on this subject. But I should stop now and pour my cup of coffee. Thank you for getting me to think about this, as it reinforces for me that time is ticking away, and I’d rather be investing that time than spending it during this one and only precious life I have to live. I want to feel full at the end, not empty. I want to make it count. (PS- I’d love to be at your France workshop! Maybe you’ll have another like that one??)
Wishing you a wonderful, productive, fulfilling Sunday!
Tawna, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. They were very insightful and really made me think. I am guilty of the same things.
When you do finish that website of yours (I’m cheering you on!!) show us all here..I know I’d love to see!
As someone who feels like they started late in the game, I understand what it means to feel busy. I wonder now, if being busy is being productive, and if I’m even going in the right direction. I often find myself contemplating that direction and the speed at which I’m operating. I feel like I’m always playing catch up. I think that at a young age, we are taught that hard work equals success; that not being busy is being lethargic. We are children of clay, molded by our parents and society to believe what we are told and what we observe. Breaking the mold is not an easy task unless we’re vigilant.
There’s always something left to do, isn’t there? We wake up and see our world around us and feel driven to do more. That unfinished task, that unrealized goal, the can haunt us if we think too much on them. Robert Browning once said, “A man’s (or woman’s) reach should exceed his grasp.” I think we’re forever reaching and being busy doesn’t mean we will ever catch up, nor should it. What makes a person great is not keeping busy but mastering (inasmuch as possible) those endeavors which become priority when we realize we are happiest when doing them. I think.
I have to tell myself sometimes, that I can’t do everything. That will not fulfill my life, but rather, getting really good at something and having the time to enjoy with my wife and my family, will. I think you’re on to something.
I met you in Laguna at your gallery, you seemed like a genuinely sweet and amazing person. Soon as the gallery filled up though I did notice it got a little stressful. I understand now why you love shooting in nature so much. It’s therapeutic, calming, and when anyone is at ease, they seem to perform much better.
Thank you for the inspiration, best wishes,
David.
David, thank you so much for these thoughts. It was amazing getting to meet you the other week. Thank you for being there. Yes, I believe that we all need to be in touch with what our passions are, and realize fully how to live out those passions in a happy way.
I think you are right when you said we usually pretend that we are more busy than we actually are.But weighing the productive output against the time we keep ourselves busy determines the prime reason of that particular time spent, which ultimately defines us who we are, and what are our priorities. Definitely if those are the things that gives us inner peace and satisfaction then its worth time spending for.
Yes Faran I agree with you – how we spend our time is how we are perceived, and so this debate of being busy vs. being calm can be one that ultimately makes us feel our worth.
Your blogs are like therapy, asking the obvious questions that most of us have to think about.
I have learnt to appreciate ‘me time’ and make sure I have enough of it.
You have such a wise head on young shoulders, I now use the phrase ‘Work to Live’ rather than ‘Live to Work’. I too enjoy being outside in the fresh air and nature as relaxation. Getting the work / life balance correct is very tricky. 🙂
Well! If I am not doing anything, I get stressed. But if I have to do immense things in one day, then also get stressed. So, I always look for the balance between the job, being with family and friends, to practice my hobbies and sleep. I do not dispense, a few good hours of sleep. Sleeping is my time to reenergize. It is certain that I could occupy most of my time making money with all the projects I have in mind. But for me the most important is also to be with those we love and have time for other things. For me happiness is like a cooking recipe. All the good recipes need good ingredients and to me, photography, to practice mountain bike, running, cooking and being with friends and family are my ingredients for happiness. And that is how I occupy myself 24 hours a day.
Thank you for this post Brooke <3 It puts in words my thoughts and feelings in a profound way. Last year was a painfully sad year for me as I lost my father and six months later my brother, but 2013 also taught me that life is fragile and life is too short. It has made me take a good long look at my life and made me realize that I must change my focus. I have a very good job that I really enjoy… but it comes with so much stress and too often I have felt I am running on empty. I such an emotional person that I take the stress so much to heart and they weigh so heavy on me. I am so tired of feeling this constant stress on myself. I need to do those things that feed my soul. Yes, this will mean less money perhaps, but what is the point of money if one does not have the time or energy to enjoy what it can bring… It is strange as I was just speaking to my mom today about many of these thoughts… And my plan is that within the next 2 years, I plan to resign and do photography full time. I wish with all my heart I could do it immediately, but there are complications and priorities that hold this back… but my heart has made the decision and I know now it is the right one <3
I grew up with a busy family. My mother spends her life working so she can make a better life for her children and I think growing up watching this has caused myself to not feel “fulfilled” unless I always have busyness in my life.
I don’t agree with this way of living and I battle myself everyday to just feel successful by just enjoying a simple day off. I go to school full time, work at a studio full time and run my own photography/videography business on the side. Some days I hate how much I am running around, but when I think about it, I question if I will fall back into that slump of not feeling accomplished If I am not running around like a mad man.
Again, I don’t agree with this because the whole point of living is to experience the world, love, and share it with people. Not only working (being busy) so you can get that quick feeling of accomplishment that will just fade in a couple days. It is hard to snap out of that mentality, but a goal I am working towards in 2014.
I also got to the point where work and daily busy-life was overwhelming any form of creative expression, so I pushed back and took more time for me. For me, it was an issue of balance. In 2013, I swung too far left, and convinced myself that the time I was being lazy and accomplishing nothing was actually much needed rest. It really tuned out to be equally frustrating as the busy/spinning my wheels mentality had been. Personally, I need structure to maintain productivity, or either of those extremes can occur. This year I’m focusing on creative productivity and balance for my photography, baking, and some writing on the side. I’d like to keep each element alive and productive, because they all make me happy, but I’m definitely going to have to prioritize and stay on top of that to maintain it! It’s a challenge, but I look forward to tackling it, growing as an artist, and having a happy life for it all!
I used to be busy at what I wanted to busy at; now I’m just busy. I wish I could be busy again at what I want to be busy at. That, of course, is photography.
Hello dear Brooke,
I feel like I am on a roundabout that I want to get off. It has not always been like this for me.
I lived for 14 years ‘on the road’ where I lived each moment as it came. The importance then was pretty much the same as now keeping warm, feeding our family (not always relations), being healthy and happy. But before we took hours, fetching and chopping wood. Going on the water run to fill butts. Working on farms to earn money as needed by choice. Cooking what we had bought or found. We travelled through some really hard times but; time was spent with others, talking, laughing, dancing and generally feeling free just to be.
As the children grew older it became necessary to remain in one place and henceforth, for ease and hot water I now live in a house. But I find now I am driven by the cost of living. I love being busy, working, helping others. What I do not like is that I feel these days I am going round and round without getting anywhere. I feel unstimulated so I seek out more to do or fill my time with. But I rarely draw (which I love) or run barefoot (which I love too) even just ‘be me’. In essence I don’t feel free.
I think that years ago I would have ‘tatted down’ and moved on to pastures new. I wish life was just more ‘simple’.
ps: I am still dancing like a crazy person at every opportunity <3
Beautiful image by the way. Love it.
WOW. I had never seen that image. It’s stunning. Your work surprises me every single time…even though I shouldn’t be surprised by now! HAHA.
I think that I have a little bit of both worlds. I’ve been out of college for almost 4 years. I loved school and I loved being busy and always learning new things. I had different jobs off and on but I haven’t worked in a “real” job for about two years. I’ve mostly been a stay at home wife. My husband works A LOT…so much so that he is at work almost every weekend; so, I’m usually alone at home or visiting my mother. She lives about 2 minutes away from us. I am with my mom a lot. I usually help her at her house and help her watch my nephew about three times a week. I’m over at her house 4 or 5 days per week and the rest of the time I’m home. Since I started photography, I’ve spent a lot of my free time studying photography and lately, trying to build up my business.
For the last 6 or 7 months though, I’ve had my mind on the fine art photography group. It’s become such an amazing community that most of my days are spent doing things for the group and researching to build the organization that I have previously told you about. It’s ridiculous because I am ALWAYS online…even while doing chores, even while with my mother, even while watching tv or playing video games with my husband. The group keeps me so busy that I don’t even pay enough attention to building my business. It has become my full time job and my life. It’s absolutely overwhelming. My family has noticed and have even told me that I need to do something to start making some money from this.
Sometimes, I feel bored because I do nothing else…but I am busy all the time. I just wish that I could travel more and like you talked about in your previous post…have more one on one human connections. Hopefully, the organization will end up leading me towards that.
I can just say that I´m thinking a lot about balance this year. My main goal is to find balance during this year. Not working too much or too little, but finding the perfect balance between work, social time, alone time, exercise, rest and so on. I hope that I will make it 🙂
You always make me think, Brooke. I love that. I, too, am busy. I make myself busier than I need to be. I have what I think is often that wife/mother’s idea that I must get everything on my to-do list done. Today. That, unfortunately, often bumps out my creative time. One of my goals this year is to NOT allow my creativity to be pushed to the back burner. I absolutely need to balance the things important to me and that includes my photography. It gives me joy which I know will invade the other areas of my life making living ALL of it that much more wonderful!
I feel as though the world is a monster who feeds on my free time, devouring every second that I can spare towards furthering my art.
It is extremely frustrating to only want to create beautiful images, yet get bogged down with the details of what needs to be done at work, what needs to be made for dinner, when were the bathrooms last cleaned, where do I need to be and when, and for whom?
Yet when I do have those spare moments I tend to waste them. I hide behind my fears, I make excuses, I lie to myself and say that I can’t do it alone. I think I make myself busy on purpose, so I have more time to avoid the things that scare me. Yet another thing that I need more time to change.
I am a very busy person, but sadly it’s a busy in a way I feel is not good for me. Instead of being busy working on my passions, making my life what I want it to be, and spending it with the people I love; my life is filled with rushing around a job I sometimes enjoy and bills I can not afford. This year I wish to change my hectic busy into a busy for me.
Ahhh ms ancient soul in young physical form! You have found the golden bullet!! Nail on the head. The retreat home to Nz last year gave me peace and space the lifestyle here in the USA is definitely driven by the focus of productive over contemplative I find. Rush rish means busy means productive and contributing. As this has seeped back into our lives I am craving the peace, famy time and creative thoughts I began to feel returning. A renewal of energy and inspiration can only happen for me when I carve this space back out and it’s harder and harder when I look at the list of have tos and need tos so what I do is literally this year I blocking off time for peace. I block out time for family and I am getting up thirty minutes earlier to have time to write.
Thank you for so clearly expressing thoughts that I share. Love your light and I believe your year will be richer in all the important things for pursuing this. And from that you will find the financial coffers fuller as your soul will be to xox
I just now had the chance to read this post, I was BUSY this weekend, but not in the ‘usual’ way my family remembers of last year. BUSY on the weekends for me has meant for the last 2 years, taking studio work and spending 8-12 hours a day in studio or office, all weekend long, working on other families shoots.
Not that I don’t love that, but I told my family, and myself, when I embarked on my inspiration journey as I call it, that I was going to spend 2014 being less ‘busy’. So, I’ve limited myself to 2 clients a MONTH now, and this past weekend was spent out of town at a childrens museum, a mall, the park, and all with MY family. It was just awesome.
I am so happy you are the one that inspired this journey of mine, I am so happy to be shooting ‘stock’ after ‘stock’ in my studio that is for my own use. My daughter is loving it as she is my model for most of my new series ‘cracks’, and I am also teaching her some photography along the way. We also cleaned and rearranged the studio to better suit MY goals for this year and what I want to shoot.
I am only into January and praying every night that I am the winner of the essay contest and given help and a spot to come to your creative live class and that chance to spend time picking your brain and just talking with you, getting to know you from more than just a computer, or a webcast (which was awesome of you and lyndsy to do by the way, the interaction personally was something I really enjoyed! and laughed when you almost blew away at the end)
But yes, I can totally relate to this post. Last year I was always on Facebook updating my clients on the ‘lineup’ of edits, when the custom albums would be done, constantly marketing myself and trying to get referrals, and the relief from that and the joy in creating for myself is so amazing.
so im busy making memories with my children this year, and busy on my inspiration journey 🙂 lovin it! best wishes as always God bless you, and please slow down girl! I really want to meet you but it cant be healthy with the schedule you’re keeping!
I think i am finally in the perfect place in my life. I have the things and loved ones i want surrounding me and i am pursuing my passions on a daily basis. I love a simple life filled with what fills the soul, i am such a fortunate person. Gratitude is mine everyday. I wish this feeling for you all.
Dear Brooke, thank you for sharing this. I cannot agree more. I have lived very busy some years of frequent travels and long hours of work. It brought me a ‘success’ in terms of social recognition and financial rewards, but not calmness and peace in mind. I realized a big (financial) success does not mean much if I do not have small success at home; having time and energy to cook for myself and loved ones, keeping my temple (home) clean and tidy, and having fun with friends. These personal activities keep me grounded and balanced…
The challenge is that we do need to pay our bills while we pursuit our dream life, and that the world is full of busy people who admire business. I think it takes strong faith to follow our inner voice and let go of fear for not being busy.
Calmness and peace of mind will be attained if we are free from our plans and ambitions. I have one day or half-day a week free from everyone/everything. I spend time only for myself without plans/phones. Such a mini-retreat will get me grounded and inspired again.
Love,
Yu
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