I've been struggling with this idea for a while now.
Such is the culture of work. Productivity. Performance.
But something has to give, right?
Can one really do it all and do all of them equally well?
For example: The supermom with 2 kids, a successful, fulfilling career, and time to prepare delicious, healthy meals for the family AND volunteer at her children's school activities AND participate in community life/social life AND take care of herself.
Really? Is this an accurate, realistic picture?
I'm sure there are those who do seem like they can do it all and do all of them well. But when it comes down to it, the question is... does the above person sleep??? Does the above person really take care of herself? Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally? If so, I'd love to know how these people do it. And maybe package it all up in a bottle.
I just had a productive conversation this morning and I was told that I should give myself a range for my performance. If let's say the best performance is a 10, see if I can be ok with a range of 9-10, and if I can be ok with moving in that range. It's not setting myself up for a 10 but only performing at 2 or 3, which is different. But I need to see if I can be comfortable in the range of 9-10 (or maybe 8-10, as was the suggestion...).
Because a range of 9-10 (or whatever I decide my range is) will give me room to breathe.
Hmm. Something to think about.
It's the same in an asana practice, isn't it? We challenge our bodies and minds to try certain poses and achieve that delicious stretch... but the challenge should be just enough that we can still breathe freely and comfortably, stretch safely without harming ourselves, and have a sense of openness and lightness in our bodies. We give ourselves a range - room to have just enough challenge, but also enough comfort and steadiness in the breath. Same thing.
So I need to set a range for myself. A range that is still forgiving, a range that says, yes my work is good enough. A range that gives me space to breathe.... and space to enjoy the deliciousness of the challenge while still taking care of myself.
And maybe even a chance to sleep soundly at night.
2 comments:
great post mia! reminds me of how i stress myself too often over the little things. i have to ask myself too where do i want to spend more of my time on? if i strive to be perfect in every single thing, i will never be at peace (or be able to sleep, as you wrote!). but if i pick and choose my battles, i just may have enough time to care for myself :-)
Anne: "Pick and choose my battles". Exactly! That's what I am still trying to learn. One of my mentors in teaching always used to tell me, "Work smart, not hard." I tend to go towards the "hard" route, when really I could have either prevented a lot of the stress just by changing how I think. More to think about...
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