Did you know that we all have the same 24 hours in each day??? I have really been focusing on this idea when my coaches talk about the idea of "being busy". They repeatedly remind us that "busyness" is a thought, not a circumstance. Aside from that, you can only even do one thing at a time, so even if you are busy it doesn't matter because you can only do what you can do in a single moment. There are tons of people in this great big world that wear their busyness as a badge of honor; sometimes we even use it as an excuse for why we don't want to do something or can't possibly do something. If I'm being honest, I have to admit to doing all of these things at least a few times in my life, especially as an adult. Over the last couple of years though, since I've decided to live my life more intentionally, I've developed more of a sense of doing things because I want to do them, not out of obligation. If it's something that I care about or want to make time for, my "busyness" is adjustable and can be rearranged. In fact, I sort of thrive on being "busy". If I have a lot to do then I tend to be more productive, I love a good to-do list.
Back to the 24-hour focus! I think we have all heard the saying that 'there are only 24 hours in a day' and of course we are well aware of that. If you use military time you are probably even more aware of the 24 hours since you actually call them by name. Alas, for those of you that are like I am, and have to subtract 12 to figure out what time it is when someone says "thirteen-hundred hours", we might need a reminder of all 24 of them every now and then. Time is a funny thing. There are days when it seems there isn't enough of it and days when it flies by. Jody Moore and Brooke Castillo (my coaches) talk about the reasons why this 'phenomenon' occurs. Guess what? And this may come as a shock to you, but.... IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR THOUGHTS. Yep. Our thoughts are truly amazing. It's actually really obvious if you stop and think about this for a few minutes. Let's give it a go.
Scenario 1:
I have a big ugly to-do list of chores (you know, compared to the attractive kind...) waiting for me today. It's only 9am and aside from the chores, my kids are sick and whining at me and at each other. The hubby is out of town for the week and my sister is really busy so I don't have anyone to call and commiserate with over the horror flick of whinery. THE DAY IS DRAGGING ON.
Scenario 2:
I have a long list of chores to do but the kids are spending the week with the grandparents, so it's just me, home all day while the hubby is at work. I get to turn up the tunes and chat on the phone while I get my work done all in the presence of nobody. I have a nice lunch with a friend and our hour together doesn't last long enough. It's a great day and before I know it, it's 8pm and I've had a nice quiet dinner at home with my hubby and a beautiful, productive day.
Review:
So, I made up both of these scenarios, but you can assume that they are pretty similar to the events of my life and how my days might go.
In scenario 1 all of the crummy parts are pretty clear: the ugly chores, sick kids, whining, loneliness, misery--a series of unfortunate events--the glass is empty and about to shatter. Based on the description alone you can tell that my brain is totally zeroing in on my negative thoughts about the circumstance. Because my thoughts are telling me that I have a long and horrifying day ahead of me, my brain is going to expect that and find that on every turn. More than likely, I will subconsciously be watching the clock, and as we all know, a watched clock never ticks, thus, time is going to go much slower -or at least it will seem that way. As the day goes on I will continue to find evidence to support my negative thoughts (which will fuel my negative feelings) AND there will still be only 24 hours in that day.
Now, scenario 2 will bring a little sunshine into the world. You can see that I've already made up my mind about how great things are--mostly because I enjoy being alone and without small children to distract me from my tasks. In this scenario the fact that I still have chores to do doesn't even bother me and my hubby being gone is a good thing, too (because when he is around I tend to lose all productivity...I haven't figured that one out yet..). I get to spend my day focused on being happy and accomplishing things. My brain is zeroing in on good thoughts and not succumbing to overwhelm or buffering, heading straight into battle. TIME HAS FLOWN. My brain has found the evidence to support the thoughts of freedom, fun, and productivity, thus fueling the positive feelings that distracted me from my tasks AND even though I only had 24 hours, they went by with the exact same speed that the other 24 hours went on that crummy day. The difference was that my thoughts about the day affected the way that I was feeling.
See? Isn't that amazing???
Being busy is a thought--A thought that I can choose to change if I want. I can decide that I have a bunch of things to do and I want to get them done efficiently and move on with my day (and my life), OR, I can decide that I have a bunch of things to do and I'm going to let it overwhelm me and keep me from making the most of my day because I'm so set on seeing the trees instead of the forest.
As you look back on your Christmas holiday have you noticed anything? When you think about how "being busy" affected your preparations and celebrations what comes to mind? Think about it, journal/write about it. See what you can figure out when you really delve deep into your thoughts and feelings. What can you do to change your thoughts for the next time you end up "busy"? Chances are you'll be busy in a day or two. Or an hour. The question you should ask now is "So what? What does busy even mean anyway?". Toss out that badge you once wore with "busy" honor and let your heart be in the front and center of everything that you do.
We've got this my friends, we do. Merry Christmas!!
Back to the 24-hour focus! I think we have all heard the saying that 'there are only 24 hours in a day' and of course we are well aware of that. If you use military time you are probably even more aware of the 24 hours since you actually call them by name. Alas, for those of you that are like I am, and have to subtract 12 to figure out what time it is when someone says "thirteen-hundred hours", we might need a reminder of all 24 of them every now and then. Time is a funny thing. There are days when it seems there isn't enough of it and days when it flies by. Jody Moore and Brooke Castillo (my coaches) talk about the reasons why this 'phenomenon' occurs. Guess what? And this may come as a shock to you, but.... IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR THOUGHTS. Yep. Our thoughts are truly amazing. It's actually really obvious if you stop and think about this for a few minutes. Let's give it a go.
Scenario 1:
I have a big ugly to-do list of chores (you know, compared to the attractive kind...) waiting for me today. It's only 9am and aside from the chores, my kids are sick and whining at me and at each other. The hubby is out of town for the week and my sister is really busy so I don't have anyone to call and commiserate with over the horror flick of whinery. THE DAY IS DRAGGING ON.
Scenario 2:
I have a long list of chores to do but the kids are spending the week with the grandparents, so it's just me, home all day while the hubby is at work. I get to turn up the tunes and chat on the phone while I get my work done all in the presence of nobody. I have a nice lunch with a friend and our hour together doesn't last long enough. It's a great day and before I know it, it's 8pm and I've had a nice quiet dinner at home with my hubby and a beautiful, productive day.
Review:
So, I made up both of these scenarios, but you can assume that they are pretty similar to the events of my life and how my days might go.
In scenario 1 all of the crummy parts are pretty clear: the ugly chores, sick kids, whining, loneliness, misery--a series of unfortunate events--the glass is empty and about to shatter. Based on the description alone you can tell that my brain is totally zeroing in on my negative thoughts about the circumstance. Because my thoughts are telling me that I have a long and horrifying day ahead of me, my brain is going to expect that and find that on every turn. More than likely, I will subconsciously be watching the clock, and as we all know, a watched clock never ticks, thus, time is going to go much slower -or at least it will seem that way. As the day goes on I will continue to find evidence to support my negative thoughts (which will fuel my negative feelings) AND there will still be only 24 hours in that day.
Now, scenario 2 will bring a little sunshine into the world. You can see that I've already made up my mind about how great things are--mostly because I enjoy being alone and without small children to distract me from my tasks. In this scenario the fact that I still have chores to do doesn't even bother me and my hubby being gone is a good thing, too (because when he is around I tend to lose all productivity...I haven't figured that one out yet..). I get to spend my day focused on being happy and accomplishing things. My brain is zeroing in on good thoughts and not succumbing to overwhelm or buffering, heading straight into battle. TIME HAS FLOWN. My brain has found the evidence to support the thoughts of freedom, fun, and productivity, thus fueling the positive feelings that distracted me from my tasks AND even though I only had 24 hours, they went by with the exact same speed that the other 24 hours went on that crummy day. The difference was that my thoughts about the day affected the way that I was feeling.
See? Isn't that amazing???
Being busy is a thought--A thought that I can choose to change if I want. I can decide that I have a bunch of things to do and I want to get them done efficiently and move on with my day (and my life), OR, I can decide that I have a bunch of things to do and I'm going to let it overwhelm me and keep me from making the most of my day because I'm so set on seeing the trees instead of the forest.
As you look back on your Christmas holiday have you noticed anything? When you think about how "being busy" affected your preparations and celebrations what comes to mind? Think about it, journal/write about it. See what you can figure out when you really delve deep into your thoughts and feelings. What can you do to change your thoughts for the next time you end up "busy"? Chances are you'll be busy in a day or two. Or an hour. The question you should ask now is "So what? What does busy even mean anyway?". Toss out that badge you once wore with "busy" honor and let your heart be in the front and center of everything that you do.
We've got this my friends, we do. Merry Christmas!!
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