Wednesday Walkthrough . . . A Word of Encouragement

One of my goals when I started this blog was to provide a balanced perspective on maintaining a healthy lifestyle without getting stuck in a ditch of extremism in any line of thought. I believe the reason people struggle with a healthy lifestyle or quality parenting disciplines is because they get burned out in a line of thinking that's pushes so hard against the norm that they simply tire from being different. There has to be balance in everything, whether you're eating healthier, choosing whether or not to vaccinate, following a certain parenting style, choosing how much to exercise, etc.

These last few weeks have been a good reminder to me about the importance of balance. I am a type-A personality that loves to live by to-do lists and accomplish everything. I want to be super mom, super WAHM, super wife, super friend, super family member, super church member, etc. But in trying to do that, I tend to say yes to everything that fits in my schedule.

But when I say yes just because there's a time slot open on my calendar, that doesn't mean I'm being super; it just means I'm busy and setting myself up for burnout.

Being super is about balance, and it's about saying no too. I can't do everything. Well, I try to do everything (and many times I fit it all in), but that doesn't mean I should be doing everything. And even though I battle the fear that I'm not doing enough, and I dread saying no and disappointing someone; I find that after I turn down an invitation, I actually feel better and more free.

My recent personal goal is to keep play dates/meetings with friends/trips to the zoo/or anything else that requires a lot of planning ahead or other people's schedules, down to one event a week. That doesn't mean I'm not doing anything else with my little girl the rest of the week; it just means we're free to do the normal stuff like grocery shopping, exercise, housework, trips to the pediatrician, errands, etc. and not get burned out in the process.

I know, there are probably some of you who are sure that you CAN do it all. I'm not doubting your abilities. I'm just encouraging you to explore the freedom in saying no and having open slots in your schedule to just sit on the floor and color with your child--times when your to-do list doesn't loom over you because you've already taken care of the day-to-day tasks.

I dare you. Try it.