Am I doing enough? Am I doing too much? These are questions that we tend to harp on during the Holiday Season every year. It is a time of reflection for most and we usually tend to be hard on ourselves unnecessarily. Our brains tend to wonder whether or not we have had a happy and healthy work-life balance.
Well, have you? I bet you have been working harder than you probably should. Hold the phone, Ethel. As many of you know, I am usually going, going, and going. What I mean is, have you taken the time for yourself? Have you gone on that special trip to that beautiful destination that you have been saying you were going on eight years ago and every year since? I have a sneaky suspicion that you haven’t. You need to go do it! For real.
The first thing I hear is that “I can’t afford to do the things that I want to do.” Now it’s time for a come to Jesus meeting with yourself. Why can’t you afford it? You need to answer some of the questions that may sting when you hear them. Do you spend money like it’s water? Why are we wanting more and more? Stop wasting the money you have on stuff you really don’t need. Do you really need Hulu, Prime, Netflix, and all of those video streaming services? You could save $500 per year from cutting some of those out.
Now on to something else. Go through your monies and you’ll see wasteful spending. It’s pretty sad and cool when you realize it, huh?! Now you can start trimming your finances and put the pieces to the puzzle together. Consolidate trips throughout the week so you can save time and money. Add all that into your trip jar. Stop making all the excuses and just do it.
At the beginning of COVID, I found myself with all types of new monthly subscriptions because I thought I needed them. It turns out I didn’t need any of them. They were just time wasters and I felt sorry for myself. Stop feeling sorry for yourself because all is good. You are breathing and not in the ground just yet so do your very best to get back to the things that make you happy.
If you need to put more time into your work, then fine do that but be aware of how and where your time is spent. Get that thermometer out and see if you are getting in the red. If you are then take a break. Just be realistic with yourself.
The Holiday time makes many feel blah in so many ways. It doesn’t have to be like that. The Holidays are a time of joy. Surround yourself with the people that really matter and all that other stuff just goes away. Get that spark back and shine bright!
