Today’s good word comes from Luke 12:48 “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Lately, i’ve noticed some sneaky stressors trying to wedge their way into my workdays. As projects pile and time becomes more valuable, it’s easy to try taking it all on beast-mode style, but this can be self-distructive. We stop setting healthy boundaries for ourselves and start molding our lives around our work instead of the other way around. Are you as guilty as I am? Here are 3 signs that you’re spreading yourself too thin!
Deep breaths have become your regular breathing.
Stress and anxiety can cause our heart rate to rise. When we’re feeling so tense, it’s natural and helpful to take a deep breath. If you find yourself doing this every time you open an email, after every meeting or phone call, chances are you’re taking on too many of each. Just because we can squeeze in every meeting, email and phone call, doesn’t mean we should.
You’re making to-do lists in your head instead of falling asleep.
Sleep is extremely important for living a healthy life. It’s also important for peek performance and maintaining focus. The finishing touch on our workday should be writing down the next day’s objectives – this is where we should leave them. When you lay down at night, learn to clear your mind and just let it go. When I find myself making lists or brainstorming in bed, I try to remind myself, “I’ve done my best today. I can’t control everything but God can.”
Your loved ones are taking the back-burner.
Editing photos when I should be playing with my nephew. Answering emails when I should be watching a movie with my man. Scheduling meetings instead of coffee dates with friends. These are the characteristics of the reality i’ve been living. The truth is, I want so badly to succeed. Not only to make my loved ones proud, but to be an example that pursuing your passion and self-employment isn’t a dead end road. The pressures of bringing home the bacon are self-inflicted and therefore self-destructive. In the end, quality time with family and our personal health are far more important than all the riches in the world.
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I firmly believe this quote. Let your work be joyful, but don’t let it be your life.
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