I hope I don't sound like a broken record, but I thought of something this evening that I'd like to share...As Sarah & Abraham has grown and I've found myself enjoying this work more and more, I've really been letting things slide around the house. I always keep the dishes and laundry caught up, but we've been eating takeout and frozen pizza way more than I'd like to, and my lax attitude about vacuuming, dusting, etc. has become a bit ridiculous.
So for the past week or so I've shifted my focus back to this concept of balance once again. I've been making time for the things that matter and not allowing other things to get in the way.
For example, for the past couple of weeks my daily orders have been about three times my usual average, but I've been making a conscious effort to step away from the computer and make plans with friends and do fun things with my kids. My husband has been working 4-days a week so I can have one full day a week of uninterrupted work, but for the past three weeks I've ended up ditching work on those days to do something fun with him and the kids. I'm also trying to cook at least a little bit more.
Which brings me to this evening... I was in the kitchen making lasagna, watching my kids play in the backyard, and I felt so content. I had several orders that I could have been working on, emails I could have been replying to, and some new product ideas I was really excited to work on, but instead of feeling resentful about my role as wife/mother/homemaker taking up my time, I felt like I was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing.
Then this Brian Andreas story popped into my head, and it felt like one of Oprah's Aha! Moments:
Weight TrainingWhich also reminded me of this excellent post about balance on Stacy's Inkspot Workshop blog. If you haven't read it already, I highly recommend it!
This is a giant block of whatever is most difficult for you to carry & trust me on this, you'll carry it more times than you can count until you decide that's exactly what you want to do most & then it won't weigh a thing anymore.
5 comments:
Thank you so much for sharing this. I often feel pulled in many directions and am always feeling guilty about my lack of balance. It truly is a process and a constant give and take.
There's such a truth in what you wrote Sara... thank you for sharing. My business is still very new, so there's much to be done logistically. My sweet husband and I (we have been married 6 months today... so we're very much newlyweds) emilyhad a real heart to heart last weekend when it occured to me that I've been doing exactly what you mentioned - putting off what's important to work on my passion... only to realize the greatest gifts we have in life are those that we love...Thank you for sharing your AHA moment.
You dont' sound like a broken record at all. Balance is really hard when you have little kids and you're trying to work from home. It's not like you're packing up and leaving an office. The work is always there. That's awesome that you're taking the time to do things with your children and friends. One practical thought - it's awesome that you have such an abundance of orders. Could you ever get some kind of assistant to help you out? Maybe an art student or graphic design student to work like 15-20 hours a week? Just a thought. Keep up the wonderful work!
Very well put...it's nice to know I'm not the only one. (Maybe we'd need less allergy medicine if I "stepped away" a bit more and dusted) This past weekend was a Work Free weekend with T-Ball Opening Day and just playing in the beautiful weather with my hubby & little guy! It was WONDERFUL!!!!
sarah...you are very wise. looking forward to friday afternoon. we can BOTH stop working for a bit and enjoy the sunny weather. plan on coming to my house and we can walk to the park from here if it's nice. i'll email you the address.
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