I have noticed myself rushing around a lot lately.
Part of it is having a very full coaching schedule, which is wonderful.
Part of it is prioritizing the things that make my whole self feel more alive and agile and present, like sitting for meals, (nearly) daily yoga, reading, sleeping, time with friends and family, and time with my wife and our pup. These are wonderful.
Part of it is the persistent spin of our globe, creating nights and days, ticking us past the delineations of time, while my energy also waxes and wanes, while my lifetime inevitably shortens. These just are.
The rushing, though, helps none of it.
It doesn’t make me more efficient or a better coach.
It sure doesn’t make me a better friend, pup mom, or wife.
Instead, it makes me feel a touch frantic. It makes it harder to enjoy whatever’s happening in each moment.
And were I to obey my Innerling of Should (Alfie is his name), he would keep me stirred and striving and unsettled all the time.
When, however, I’m able to acknowledge him and leave him to his own devices for a bit, I find an ability to opt out of rushing, even if only for moments at a time, and instead embrace being busy.
Being busy requires prioritization…
…and focus…
…and efficiency.
Busy is helped by schedules that are thoughtful and flexible…
…and things like timers used with intention…
…and checking in with ourselves with great honesty.
Busy neither requires nor is helped by rush.
And so I invite you to notice when your busy life is cowing you into rushing.
Notice how the rush feels in your body, how it impacts your thinking, how it stirs your emotions.
Then choose, time and again and yet more times after that, to reframe…
…to let go of the story that you have to rush…
…that every single thing your thoughts tell you that you have to do is actually critical…
…that your worth as a human is tied to the checks on your task list.
Then choose, time and again and yet more times after that, to embrace the presence that is always available to us in the now…
…that even if you have only five minutes to fit in a shower, you can still spend 30 seconds of it deeply enjoying the scalp massage of shampooing…
…that even if you have only 15 minutes for lunch, you can still chew each bite and attend to the blend of textures and flavors crossing your palate…
…that even if you have only 30 minutes to touch base with someone you love, even if you choose to use that call as time to also fold the laundry or knock out some dishes, you can still listen to them with great attention… you can still answer the question of, “How are you?” with great honesty.
You can choose, time and again, moment after moment, to honor that you are busy and to deny the inner drive to rush…
…for the sake of efficiency…
…and your well-being…
…and the opportunity to live even more fully into your unique definition of a Life Well Lived.