One of my hardest-working friends recently said to me that she has decided to ease her stress by curbing her ambition, and making a point of being happy in her current position. Since she decided that, and is only doing the job that she already has (rather than trying perform at the next level and hoping to gain a promotion), her workload has decreased. When I asked her how that felt, she said that she was "enjoying the space".
I absolutely love that notion. I think we need to remember what that feels like and make room in our lives for it. What I mean is that we need to make room in our lives for free time, with no plans, and be comfortable with that. No guilt.
Think of how you act around your best friend or partner. For me, I am equally happy talking a mile a minute as I am sitting on the couch reading magazines. It's not awkward to enjoy a long period of not talking, when there isn't anything to say. It has to do with trust, comfort, and a genuine enjoyment of simply being in that person's company.
I think that when we a make a commitment to "enjoy the space", we actually enable ourselves to move forward. When there is endless chatter (whether it is in conversation or activity), there is no room for new ideas - the existing ones are taking up all of the room and drowning out everything else. Space allows new ideas to come to us, and at the same time gives us time to breathe, recharge and collect our energy.
Factoring this in to your life may mean some sacrifice. You may not be able to do everything you want to do. This is especially difficult for people like me, who tend to over-schedule and layer activities, running around like it is their last day on earth, every day, not wanting to miss something. But prioritizing and making choices is part of being a responsible adult. Realizing that doing the necessary things and making time to relax are equally important is key to achieving balance. Doing a few things well and leaving room for space in between is better than doing a million things half-way.
So, on that note, I leave you with this:
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