Wednesday, May 2, 2012

How far ahead do you plan?

I was having a phone conversation recently that got me to thinking, which isn't a stretch for me. I often tend to think 'too long' and 'too hard' and generally about 'too much'. I guess you could say I'm a 'thinker' and a 'planner'.

I've spent most of my life thinking ... about little things like what will I wear to work today (since I heard 3 different weather reports on 3 different stations this morning), what should I fix for dinner tonight, and what color flowers should I plant in my garden next month. There are the more serious issues ... will my daughter find the right college to go to in a year and will my son get a new teaching job now that he's graduating. Then there are the really serious topics ... will the economy improve, what will gas prices look like later this year, and will my family continue to be healthy.

There are so many things that need to be considered in life on a daily basis ... your responsibilities as a parent, perhaps as a spouse, and even as an employee (if you're lucky enough to be working). I guess my question to you is 'Do you live in the present OR are you always planning for the future?' The ironic part is that none of us possess the control that we think we have. Life is full of obstacles - things can get thrown into our path at any given moment. Do we let the obstacles obstruct our way OR do we attempt to leap right over them (sometimes succeeding and other times not)?

The reality of being consumed with planning ahead is that it is too easy to forget to live in the present. Most of my adult life I've had the urge to write ... everything from journals to business letters to resumes to blogs. I've always dreamt about writing something 'bigger'. There never seems to be the right creative location where I can close everything else out or the time that I can devote to myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking for a pity party. I think we all go through this at one time or another. There are things that I'm doing right now that don't leave me time for doing other things, BUT 'I' choose to do the things that I am doing (working, band boosters, volunteering, etc.).

If you choose to put off doing something for now, then you owe it to yourself to make yourself a promise to one day make the time for you. It's a gift only you can give yourself. No one will ever hand it to you on a silver platter.

Today's question: Do you make time for yourself and what do you do with the time (a hobby, volunteering, work)? The next question is probably the harder one ... how long did you make yourself wait and what finally changed to make it happen?

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