I watched a good TED Talk this morning by Shonda Rhimes, where she talks about how she spent a year saying “Yes” to everything – and how it changed her life. Her story reminds me of so many of us….we often get so caught up in “Stuff” that we lose focus on what is truly important – and then suddenly, nothing is important.
There is always pressure to get more done, be more, do more, have more, accomplish more – believe me I know. For a long time, I tried to be the “Superachiever of the year” because I felt like I had to prove something, to myself and to everyone else. I wanted to make up for the lost years when I lived with my parents, virtually a prisoner of my dad’s abuse and his controlling behaviors. I felt the need to prove I was worth something by accomplishing something.
Enough about that – that isn’t what I want to share with you today. Certainly, I am blessed to be where I am today and I’m always looking for opportunities to share what I’ve learned about overcoming, but what’s on my heart today is Shonda’s point about how we sometimes get too caught up in work to play. But, “playing” in some form or fashion is what helps us be able to work.
It’s difficult, I know. As a self-employed entrepreneur, I spend at least twice as many hours working now as I did when I had a “real job.” Work consumes my life because there is always pressure to be writing, or reading, posting quotes, pictures, inspiring people, meeting new people, speaking about my story, publishing the next book. There are always people out there that I want to reach to bring them hope, and the pressure is there to not let them down so I must always be reaching out.
And yet, I must take time to play. To recharge, to refuel, and find renewal. Shonda calls it “Me time” and I love that concept. It’s always difficult to step away from the pressure but when we do, we are able to come back with a new focus. We all have different ways to recharge but what’s important is that we do it.
“Live life to the fullest and focus on the positive.” Matt Cameron
It’s Saturday morning early and I’m about to step away. I’m going to put off my list of things I need to work on and spend today playing. Quiet reading time this morning, exercise, hiking this afternoon, dinner with friends tonight, and then a movie with Mack and a bowl of my favorite Breyer’s French Vanilla Ice Cream. The list of things to do will still be there tomorrow and it won’t be any shorter, in fact, it might be longer, but it will keep.
Ria is a motivational speaker, author, and professional coach with a passion to help others make the right choices today to reach their goals tomorrow. She triumphed over being sexually abused from age 12 – 19 by her father, and escaped by leaving home at 19 without a job, car, or even a high school diploma. Ria is an accomplished speaker, sharing her inspirational victim-to-victor story of overcoming adversity with humor and a down-to-earth style that connects with audiences. Contact Ria
