Hey, I hope your Memorial Day weekend is going well. It’s a great time of year to pay tribute to not only your lost loved ones, but also to all of the men and women who died in service.
I also consider it the weekend where summer really begins. And even though our kids aren’t old enough to be in school yet, summer is a big deal in the Bougger household since my wife is a teacher and this is right around where her vacation begins. And much like Christmas break, we try to look at where we are with things at the beginning of the break and set some serious goals for where we want to be at the end of it.
But summer can often be a little discouraging when we set goals for our side projects and then end up so busy with real life that we have trouble making any progress toward those goals. I know I might be beating a dead horse by saying this, but this weekend, like most weekends, was another busy one.
And that go me thinking…isn’t it funny (or maybe just sad) how busy has become the new fine.
Q: How are you?
A: Busy.
Everybody is busy. All the time.
I wouldn’t say busy is necessarily a bad place to be, however. Take this weekend for example. We took the kids out to see their grandma and grandpa. They love going there, and we always have a great time. And I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful that my kids love spending time with my parents so much.
And if our kids keep us busy, we shouldn’t complain. We should be happy we have kids in the first place. How many people aren’t lucky enough to have kids that keep them busy? Or family to go spend the weekend with? In other words, yes, we’re busy. But we’re busy doing the right things.
That’s why I don’t like it when people complain that they’re “busy.” To me, that means they’re not really busy, they’re just spending too much time doing the wrong things. Watching reality TV shows, spending endless hours on Facebook, that sort of thing.
I’m not writing this to pass judgment or anything like that, I’m just saying that if you feel like your life has way too going on, then slow down and figure out what’s most important. Then eliminate all of the useless stuff and spend your time doing the important things instead of the “busy” things.
You’ll be so much more productive and will better appreciate the time you spend doing the things that really matter, instead of feeling rushed. And then take a look at those things and remember how blessed and lucky you really are to have the time to spend doing them.
And from now on, when people ask how you’re doing, here’s how the conversation should go:
Q: How are you?
A: Lucky.
Remember that. And remember: Family first, writing second, everything else third 🙂
Thanks for reading and if you feel up to it, leave a comment and let us know what “busy” thing you’re currently giving up to help you reach your writing goals!
