Building Margin In Your Life

My husband said to me recently, "honey, we have to build some margin in our lives!"

"What do you mean?" I said.

"Well, we never stop and smell the roses any more."

Stop and smell the roses....It seemed like I was stuck on that one statement. As a gardener, I love flowers, so I began to conjure up images of walking through my garden and smelling each and every flower planted there.

"Mom! Your office is on the phone!"

That scream from my son immediately snapped me back to reality as I ran to deal with the latest emergency.

Later on that day the thought about the roses persisted. Over the next few days it seemed like everything I read was speaking to my overtaxed and overstimulated lifestyle.

Relax, uncomplicate, rest, untether...

As a professional who also does a lot of volunteer work, speaking engagements, board involvement etc., I have a lot on my plate. At the time when this was said to me, I was also heavily involved in activities at my church. I felt like I was too busy to rest!

Over the next few days I took an inventory of my daily activities. I soon realized there was not much time left over at the end of the day for my family. This was alarming! Where did that time go!? How could I have ignored my family this much without recognizing it?

I decided to take some time out to pray, meditate and really ask God to show me how to balance my life with my work and everything else I had going on.

All of a sudden, random people started giving me advice on work/life balance, prioritizing family, AND smelling those roses!!

I immediately made plans that revolved primarily around my family and discovered to my delight, the ultimate pleasure of enjoying time with my family with an undivided heart. The lure of work was less and my stress levels were reduced. The challenge now was to keep this momentum going. I started thinking thoughts like...

"If I had 6 months to live, would work really matter...?"

I was now at peace with what needed to be done to build some margin in my life while upholding my responsibilities. Upon further self analysis, I observed that there were still some habits I had to break. These were my 'Time Stealers'. The number one culprit - Netflix and News! I took action and went on a television diet for a couple weeks to develop some discipline in this area. I replaced that time with reading, playing board games or simply talking with my family.

I discovered so many wonderful new insights into myself and my children that I had failed to see previously. I did not waste time on regrets, but instead resolved to be better. If you want to accomplish anything, you have to be determined and act on that determination.

I confess; today I am an "ex-busy" person who still have lots to do, but strives real hard for balance. My daily habits include morning prayer and meditation to set the proper focus, coupled with exercise and a great motivational teaching. This works for me:)

If you are reading this and you find yourself where I was 12 years ago when I wrote this in my journal, consider the following course of action.

1. Stop and Assess
2. Identify Time Stealers
3. Take Proactive Steps Now to change your trajectory! It's always better late than never:)

I would love to hear your thoughts. Please share them with me in the comments below.

About Sharon Gill

Thanks for reading my post. I am a Life and Business Coach who uses a faith based approach to help women overcome their fears and limiting beliefs so that they can take decisive actions on their passions. I have a long and diverse background in both the corporate and non profit sectors, and enjoy seeing individuals pursue their God given potential. I am also the Chief Leadership Officer at Sharon Gill International which specializes in creating 21st Century Leaders in Businesses, Non Profits and Ministries. I offer a free 30 minute consult if you feel ready to explore your next step in life or business. <<Click here>>