it made me think about how limited our time is.
and how i always used to come up with thousands of new year’s resolutions... i used to start with some nice, attainable goals. then, well...
i don't know. maybe it's just that i'd get a little too excited and my list would end up something like this:
i don't know. maybe it's just that i'd get a little too excited and my list would end up something like this:
- go out with my friends more often
- read more
- join a book club
- go out on dates with my husband every week
- actually send real Christmas cards this year (yeah, i always regret not having started it earlier - oh, and now it's too late and they won't be getting it before Christmas anyway.. so what's the point?)
- work out on a daily basis
- start a business
- take up an old hobby (like photography)
- writing lots of emails to my long distance friends every week/month
- visit my in-laws once a week
- work extra hours to save for a car upgrade
- sleep more hours
- volunteer at our local church
- take an online course on applied finance
- start a blog and post regularly
- pay off the house
- completely change my eating habits
- have a baby
- learn how to play the guitar
- help with advertising my husband’s business
- write a book
- learn French
- run my first half marathon
- travel around the world in 80 days...
and you know me.. i am all for those things, really. i am.
and i guess when we all think about new year’s resolutions, we normally go for the 10+ list of things we must add to our regular (and most likely already full) schedule without leaving our current responsibilities unattended.
but let’s face it: there is not enough time to do everything we want! i mean.. seriously, i’d love to be able to accomplish every single thing I want in life, but there just isn’t time to do them all.
i don’t know about you, but i used to do that. i used to write these 10+, 20+, 100+ lists before the new year came and surprise, surprise!, i didn’t even remember most of what was in there by February! so, what are resolutions good for anyway if you don’t even know that you can actually commit to doing them after all?
i have been doing things differently for the past few years, though, and it has been working fine for me. i'm sure some people would think i don't feel extra inspired or maybe that i aim too low to avoid disappointment. but it's definitely not it - i guess am a lot more focused now than i have ever been and i'm proud to to say that i am actually getting things done. less things. important things.
i have learned to prioritize.
and frankly, i am getting pretty damn good at it :)
i have come to realize that wanting too many things done at once is probably the best way to get absolutely nothing done. and it is such a waste of time to think anyone could multitask to that extent...
i’m not a huge expert on the matter, but when playing darts, i've been taught to aim the dart point to the area i wanted to hit. that's because when you’re not sure where you wanna hit, you get distracted and focus on many places at the same time... which will, more often than not, cause you to completely miss the target. i guess the same thing happens in life.
and i am sure we can all relate to it at some point in our lives.
we've all been there.. there's always a season in our lives in which we can’t seem to fully commit to anything.. we start new projects with lots of enthusiasm and end up quitting almost as fast as we had started.
until i decided i didn't want to keep making the same mistake over and over again.
and i guess it's all about understanding that when we choose something, we are inevitably forced to say no to something else.
[just in case you were wondering why i don't write on this blog all that often]
Wow, que post mas inspirador, yo recuerdo haber hecho una lista hace muchos años, de la cual algunas cosas sí y otras no las he ido cumpliendo, me has animado a recrear unam justo en un punto de inflexión bastante particular en mi vida.
ReplyDeleteEl multitasking, ciertamente, es lo peor que hay en productividad, te da una falsa sensación de estar siendo muy eficiente, pero a la final algunas de esas tareas las debes repetir, y si es relacionado con aprender, no aprendes nada, yo era un fanático obtuso de esta forma de trabajar y hacer las cosas, aún me cuesta evitar esos malos hábitos, pero es verdad que cuando haces Una cosa a la vez priorizando, consigues más resultados, ahorras tiempo y llegas a la meta. Un saludo emprendedora
Que grande ha sido verte por aquí!
DeleteGracias por la visita :P
VERY well said!!!!! : )
ReplyDeleteI like to make goals for myself for the year but I don't beat myself up about them if I don't get to them. Some of them are character goals, like being more patient etc. Things I can work on all the time. Others are things I want to do and they are more like reminders to not forget myself amongst all the chaos of my kids and hubby.
I hope 2012 is a great year for you!
xo
Your absolutely right about that. THIS is also the reason for why I haven't posted anything on my blog in about a week. I somehow don't feel to bad about it. The reason why I got into this blog thing in the first place was to show of what I had painted or photographed. Occasionally say something that's been stuck in my mind. But sometimes it's better just to actually paint and take photos in stead of writing about how little time there is to do all the things you love :D
ReplyDeletePlease keep painting! I love to see your work - you're such a talented woman, Halina!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYou hit the nail on the head with this one! Very well said!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ginny!
DeleteThis is such a true post. You're a smart woman, Luisa.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, darling. You rock!
DeleteI thought of you while doing dishes two nights ago, not sure why. I did miss your posts, though. I had two New Years Resolutions, because if I did too many, I knew, as you said, I'd never get half of them done. So, I made the resolutions of 1)Not browsing the Internet 24/7, (and yes, I have kept that 13 days in) and 2)Read my Bible through. Which I've done before, but doing again is a challenge.
ReplyDeleteI play the piano. I compared your dart-board analogy (which was brilliant! I loved that example!) to music. When you're playing a difficult piece... or, several difficult pieces, it takes focus. Most of the time, you can nail 3/4 of the song. I play the song over and over. I ignore the fact that I messed up in the same spot the last thirteen times I've played it. I could of had that part ironed out, if I would of sat down and just focused on that part. After that, it goes well.
Ok. so, this was an uber-long comment. But this was a wonderful post. Not sure if my analogy made sense. :p
Your analogy makes all the sense in the world. And it's amazing to know that you were thinking of me - you know, i guess internet really is what you make of it.. Isn't it great that two people from completely different parts of the world are able to connect like that? (I must sound like a grandma) Anyway, i guess i'm trying to thank you for reading my blog... ;)
DeleteWhat made click 'reply' so fast is that my new year's resolution was also to read through the Bible and it was such a coincidence that I had just closed the book and picked up the phone to check my emails one last time before going to bed.. Isn't it great??
Anyway, i've just finished Joshua. Are you following a reading plan or something??
Have a great weekend!
I like you talking or writing this out rather, b/c it's so true. I mean you have to have boundaries and do what works for you and your husband...there is no right or wrong "list", it's where you are at in your life that certain things will work and certain things wont' and some things matter more and etc. etc...
ReplyDeleteWe all go through seasons, and we need to allow ourselves to that, and not care about the extra pressures from the world and the people in our lives....(I don't know if i'm making sense)!