Switching gears

I've been thinking a lot more about my work ethic and values and generally, my approach to life.

I've come to the realization that I basically work at EVERYTHING. friends, exercize, my well-being - even fun is work. My lens on life sees only work.

In a lot of ways it makes sense, because I haven't been happy with my views and beliefs about myself and my choices. These days, however, it makes less sense to have such views and beliefs. And, to make the same kind of choices. This blog is all about having my best life possible. I'm ready to make a significant shift toward what might be the a set of practices that will guide my life for some time, maybe the next twenty years. There's a reason for picking 20 and I'll get to that in a bit.

So here's the shift: from now on, I am going to start my week planning for things I like. Things like exercise and socializing and learning about topics of my interest. I'll create pockets of 'me' time and family time and fun time and sleep. This shift is so important because I've been noticing that I just dive into my work (whatever that might be) and work and work and work until I'm exhausted and just don't have any energy left.

Usually so much time has passed that I feel forlorn for not having had any emotional reward beyond a direct sense of accomplishment. Everything else lapses or deteriorates and I get frustrated that, somehow, the rest of the world hasnt kept pace. It's not fair to me or others.

That pattern of focusing exclusively on working, then getting frustrated and sad, then diving deep into work again, has repeated itself dozens - maybe hundreds - of times since I became an adult some 20 years ago. The next 20 seems like a different chapter of my life - my peak parenting years. The 20 after (God willing) will probably be my retirement/ post-child years.

I wonder what lens I'll adopt then. My big hope is that very soon, and for all the years following, I'll be much more at peace and filled with prosperity. I can see that I would be setting such a wonderful example for my children and others.

Starting now, I start with me.