Are you taking time to enjoy the life you’ve created? Or do you sometimes lose sight of all that you have while working on your next big goal?
If you’re like me, you’ve worked really hard to create something and you often neglect to enjoy it. Maybe you’ve saved money and created wealth, but have a hard time spending it. Or perhaps you have created freedom in your schedule, but continue with your workaholic ways. Maybe you have that incredible spouse and family you’ve always dreamed of but are too busy with work and commitments to find the time to truly cherish them.
It’s really easy to get sucked into our daily tasks and go-go-go from sunup to sundown. I’m constantly setting new goals and working to create our dream life. But while I’m chasing that dream, it’s easy to forget about all that I already have. I neglect to take the time to enjoy it.
Don’t get me wrong, both goals and dreams are a good thing. But some of us have a hard time finding balance between achieving and enjoying the present moment. For others, it’s just as easy to get stuck in the opposite scenario. Enjoying so much that we’re not taking care of our responsibilities. No matter which way you’re bent, life is always a balancing act.
No matter which way you’re bent, life is always a balancing act. Click To Tweet
I recently came to the realization that I have been neglecting one thing that we’ve worked very hard to create. Over the past six years, my husband, Jer and I have been working to create freedom in our lives so that we could stop waiting for retirement to do those things we’ve always wanted to do.
At the end of 2014, Jer and I decided that I would leave my corporate job. First to recover from said job and second to give us more flexibility to begin working on some other dreams. I spent most of that first year recovering and exploring new options. In October I launched this site and have been working like a mad woman on this and other projects ever since.
I’ve been in such a rush to get to the next thing that I haven’t taken the time to enjoy where we’re at right now. For example, one of the activities we’ve really come to enjoy over the last seven years is camping. When I was in the corporate world, we never had the chance to go camping until after Labor Day which can get cold in Northern Minnesota.
After we created more freedom in our lives in 2015, we stayed stuck in this pattern. In 2016 we did a bit better and started at the end of July. But as I explained in last week’s post, by the end of 2016, I was jonesing for an adventure.
Jer has been spending most of his vacation time on family things. So I decided to work with what we had and began booking sites for every long weekend. And that’s when I realized I wasn’t making the most of the freedom we have worked so hard for.
When I had a real job I missed out on summer five years in a row. Now I have no one telling me what to do, but I’ve been so focused on what’s next that I never took the time to slow down and enjoy what I have right now. So I decided to change that and head out on an epic solo adventure.
Here’s the thing. If you pay attention, we all receive constant reminders of the brevity of life. I plan to live well into my hundreds, but none of us really know which day will be our last. I would be pretty upset if I found out tomorrow was my last day and I never took the time to enjoy my life.
If you pay attention, we all receive constant reminders of the brevity of life. Click To TweetI don’t believe that we were put on this earth to be miserable. We are here to work hard, create value, and enjoy life. There needs to be a balance of all these things.
When we find that balance, we become happier people. When we become happier, we become kinder people. And when we all become kinder, the world becomes a nicer place. And isn’t that what we are all searching for?
When we all become kinder, the world becomes a nicer place. Click To TweetI wrote a post a while back with 21 ideas to try when you need to slow down and enjoy the now. You can access it here.
Then join me on my epic adventure. I’ll be doing some Facebook Live videos along the way (assuming I have service). You can like my page and get notifications on new videos. I’ll be tracking all of my fitness activities on Strava. You can check out my routes and pictures there. I’m also active on Instagram, so I’ll be posting some pictures there.
I’d love to hear from you. What have you been neglecting to enjoy? And what will you do to change that? Share in the comments below.
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Holly you are always an inspiration to me! You really hit it on the head when you said no matter which way God created you, it’s going to be a balancing act. Balance is the key I think. I remember hearing Joyce Meyer say once that satan was the god of excess and he always tries to make you do things excessively – one way or another – and God is the God of balance and order. Makes sense to me!
Excellent post and a great reminder – we can be so focused on planning for the future that we lose sight of the present. Can’t wait to hear all about your epic adventure, and hopefully we’ll be seeing you sometime next month – I’ll keep you posted on details!
Thank you, Ashley, for reading and commenting. Look forward to catching up soon and I’m loving the podcast!!! I’ve kind of been off the grid, but every time I have a connection, you’re the first to be downloaded!
Again, thank you, Ann, for the kind words. I think balance is so hard for most of us. Jer and I were talking about this post and he shared that he thought people were either one way or the other. Excess in drive and achieving or excess in enjoyment and fun. I think it’s something I’ll have to work on the rest of my life.