This post has absolutely nothing to do with running, but it is something that has been on my mind a lot lately so I hope you can understand my jumbled thoughts.

Hurry up and go!

If I had a theme for the last several weeks of my life I think that would summarize it pretty well. You know what? I hate it.

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This past weekend I finally slowed down, sat down and reflected on all thats been going on. You see, I am not one that likes to say no. I know how critical of a time this is for my husband and I so when it comes to work, I am always taking on everything. Even when I really can’t afford to.

How do you really know when enough is enough?

I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately. I get so focused on getting all I need to get done that I miss out on so much that is going on around me.

On Saturday, my husband and I headed to Greensboro to go out to dinner with my family. We were celebrating my Dad and Mom’s birthdays which are both in February. It was a great time, but more than once I caught myself thinking in my head about what I needed to get done that night or before Monday.

I was no longer living in the moment.

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As I was riding back home I started to think about other things I was missing by always thinking about the next thing I needed to accomplish:

• Moments with my husband – My husband is finally on a rotation that allows him to be on a 9-5 schedule. It’s so nice actually being able to go home and have him there, but now we are halfway through. I’ve missed some really important moments with him by being so caught up.
• Relaxation of running – I love to run. Go figure? However, when I get busy or stressed it shows in my running. I no longer am able to relax and enjoy it and instead all I can do is think about work.
• The present – as cliche as it sounds I am missing out on the here and now. There are so many examples each day of how precious and short life is. I don’t want to miss out on the little precious memories that we build each day.

It was easy for me to manage when I wasn’t working full time. I could focus on my attention on one job, one project, etc. Now I have many projects that need my time, but for 8 hours out of the day I have to focus on something else entirely.

We all deal with it now and again, but I realized this weekend that things really need to change.

Does work still have to be done? Yes. That isn’t going to change it isn’t going anywhere.

Can I change how I handle the work and how much time I choose to spend on it? Absolutely.

 
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There is always room for improvement in so many areas of life. I know that I need to find a way to be more efficient with my time, and not allow my job or other work to take up more time than it needs to.

Life isn’t supposed to be all about work. I don’t want to miss out on the real important things because I’m consumed.

How do I plan to make the necessary changes?

•  Breathe – it may sound so simple but sometimes I forget to just slow down and breathe. Take in what’s around me and just breathe.
• Stop Living By a Rigid Schedule – I’ve been so caught up in sticking to my schedule that I have had no time for nothing else. This week I’ve started taking a more lax view on my schedule. Guess what? The work still gets done but I’m not near as obsessive over it.
• Count my blessings – I am so blessed. Sometimes I get caught up in life that I forget to really count my blessings.

As I said at the beginning, this post had nothing to do with running but its something I’ve been struggling with. The work won’t go away, but if I change the way I look at it and the way I react to things then my life slows down and becomes more enjoyable.

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It’s too precious to let each day pass us by so quickly. Slow down and enjoy it!

What do you do to help yourself slow down and breathe?.