525,600

This post first appeared on July 24, 2013.  In this busy and stressful holiday season, I think it's good to practice these tips to achieve some sanity and life balance.

 

 

 

 You can always do one less thing that you think you can!

What would you do if someone gave you a gift of 525,600? Before you start thumbing through catalogs and looking at all of the things you could buy, I’m not talking about dollars. I’m referring to
the number of minutes in a year. For our time-starved population, minutes are infinitely more precious than money. Yet most of us give considerably more thought to spending our cash than spending our time.  (Okay, some of us don’t give much thought to how we spend our money either, but it’s probably half a thought more than thinking about how our minutes are spent.)

With money, we can buy more “stuff” – often things we don’t need and sometimes don’t want. Then we're confronted with finding a place to put our new “stuff” and may even have to throw out some of our old “stuff” to make room for the new.
 
But when we’re given the gift of time, we can get things to fill our soul and nurture our spirit. What we get with the gift of time can’t be found in any store, and it’s nothing that money can buy.
 
When our focus is on money, we deprive ourselves of what can bring us true joy. We get caught up in the rat race of needing to work harder to make more money to buy more things so that we’ll have to work even harder to make even more money to buy even more things … you get the picture.    It's like being a hamster on a wheel, running faster and faster – and going nowhere at all.
 
When you feel drained of energy, when your soul is starving and your spirit is withering, it’s time to start taking some time for yourself. Get selfish! Do something that’s only for you. Forget about your husband, your kids, your family, your boss. They’ll all be fine if your total devotion and attention isn’t on them for a little while. Be kind to yourself.

Renew your spirit by giving yourself a real gift – the gift of time.

 
~Weekly Challenge~

 · Take one day this week and keep track of your time.  Pay particular attention to how much time is given to the other people in your life.

· Go through your calendar and schedule 30 minutes of time with yourself every day for a week. Treat this appointment as if it were an appointment with your doctor. There is no canceling it or rescheduling it because something “more important” comes up.  And be sure to turn your cell phone off – no taking phone calls during "your time".

 · During your 30 minutes, do something that feeds your soul and lifts your spirit. Read a book, take a walk, meditate, tend to your garden.  If you don’t know what feeds your soul and lifts your spirit, reflect on the sadness of that situation and spend your 30 minutes examining what’s in your heart. You’ll soon be in touch with what brings you peace.
 
· Repeat this exercise every week and vow never to lose track of yourself again.


It IS All In Your Head!

Cindy
cakozak88@gmail.com