SURRENDER
For a while now, I have been frustrated with how much I get accomplished each day. As a result, I have been putting a lot of pressure on myself to figure out the "best daily routine."
One that would magically-
Fit in everything on my to-do list
Accommodate all the needs for my businesses and family
Include all the things I tell myself I "need" to do each day
Best, it would neatly enable me to do all of this in the 17 hours left after the 7 hours of sleep I “should” be getting each night.
I felt I hadn't made enough progress towards goals and kept telling myself that if I could just perfect my daily routine, all of this would change, and I would be on the right track. I have spent hours writing and typing out daily routines, only for them to be derailed by 10 am the next day.
Many people are questioning where they are focusing their energy and spending their time right now. There are so many distractions and voices telling you what you "should" be doing to be successful, a good partner, the best parent, healthy, etc. It can be exhausting, honestly, and the list of questions can be self-defeating and is endless.
Am I spending enough time on my self-development?
Am I focusing enough on my career, or neglecting my relationships?
Should I be meditating?
Am I paying enough attention to my finances?
Do I need to fit in more time for self-care?
While journaling this morning, I realized that this need to perfect my daily routine has instead become a place where I leak energy. That by trying to control the hours and the outcome of each day, I was actually limiting myself to the possibilities and opportunities that magically arise when we align with the flow of life. In addition, when I get tunnel vision around my routines and to-do lists, I tend to neglect the relationships in my life. Instead of returning to this self-defeating pattern, I decided it was time to surrender my need to control how each hour of my day is used, stop fighting the inevitable unpredictability of my life and be open to new possibilities I could miss.
Today, I will surrender my need to control the day in order to be open to new possibilities.
That doesn't mean there still isn't a lot of shit that I need to do each day or that I don’t need some type of structure to my days. It does mean that I will stop putting energy toward controlling each hour of the day and then beating myself up over the to-dos left at the end of the day.
An image of someone ringing all the water out of a towel until it is dry is an excellent example of how I have been trying to control my days- strangling each possible minute of productivity out of each hour. Instead, I will begin to trust the life process and listen to my instincts. I will let my towel dry naturally with the timing and flow of air, as intended. ;)
I hope this inspires you to pause and reflect- Are you putting too much pressure on yourself and everything you "need" to get done each day? Are you leaving enough space for inspiration and possibilities you have yet to imagine?
Cheers to new and inspired possibilities!
Definition of surrender
verb:
agree to stop fighting or resisting