I Changed My Sheets Today
It happened today – I changed my sheets! You may be thinking, okay you changed your sheets, so what? It’s something we all do regularly, or hopefully anyhow. But is it seemingly the only thing you do in that day? Certainly, it’s not the only thing I do in a day, but sometimes it seems as though it’s my only prize accomplishment. In a world where there are so many choices, so many activities, so many items on our to do lists, sometimes all of these possibilities and must do’s can overwhelm us. Well, they overwhelm me anyhow. There are days when I just cannot see the important things beyond all the requirements of my life; all the many things I must do. I keep looking at all the successful people out there – those who are publishing books, writing songs, launching businesses, doing great philanthropic work to help others. All these comparisons make my head spin.
It’s okay to be you and do what you can each day, even if that one thing is changing your sheets that day. We often try to be all things to all people. And we just simply can’t. Stop it! Stop trying to do that. Shut down those voices in your head that quickly look for reasons why you are not enough or cannot. Just take one step, then another, then another. Do what you can for the day. Don’t compare what someone else is doing, has done, or how their life seems to be going for one second more. Just be you and do what you can. My son is a cub scout and one of the lines of the scout oath keeps ringing in my ear these days – do your best! And that is really all we can do.
Lately, I tend to look at what others have, what they are doing, how they are seemingly excelling way beyond what I know I can. This started after I got my career off the ground. In fact, it really got going after my mom died. Before that fateful day, I was on a roll, at the top of my game for God’s sake. I didn’t care much back then what people thought of me or how far advanced I was in comparison to them. You know why? Because I had worked my butt off to get where I was and was excelling toward my goals. And you know why? Because they where my goals, not anyone else’s goals for me or goals for themselves. I created that destiny for myself, not anyone else. And in that I found a sense of pride, joy, gratefulness. At times, I did look at what others were doing and accomplishing in their lives for inspiration in my own life. But never once did I think I should be where they are or get what they have. I was content with what I had. So, why did all this comparing to the “Joneses” come up or the notion that “the grass is greener on the other side?”
I think I lost myself for a time after my mom died. There was a hole in my heart the day she left me. It spun my world upside down. My husband swooped in and helped me through it, but as nice as that was, maybe that’s not what I needed. Maybe I in fact needed to get through it a little on my own to heal and be reminded that I was born a survivor and I could get through this. I am not saying we don’t need others to help us through. Not at all. What I am saying is that sometimes, we need to give ourselves permission to take things back a notch and give ourselves time to get through on our own. This gives us a little time to take stock of the tools and inner strength we have to get through hardships in our lives. And of course, accept the help, lean on others, let them support you, all while ensuring you have not lost or forgot about the strength you possess inside of you.
This strength that I’m speaking of is what gets us out of bed in the morning. It’s what helps us look to brighter days. With knowing we can get through the down points in our lives, we can remind ourselves that there will be days in which we conquer the world and those, well, in which we simply change our sheets. You cannot show your Wonder Woman feats every single day. You are still a superhero on the inside! Give yourself permission to just be and tackle what you can. Save the rest for later.
Here are my promises to myself that I’m inviting you to share in for your life:
1. Give yourself permission to take it back a notch – take a break, take the pressure off, move a little slower today.
2. Put one foot in front of the other. The road to greatness or success or accomplishing what you want in life is done by taking that first step. For today, one step is good enough.
3. Always do your best.
4. Redefine what a successful life looks like to you. You don’t always have to be “in action” or at the top of your game every single moment. Success and a great life is also made up of rest, relaxation, reflection and just being to create that balance we all need.
5. Stop being so hard on yourself girl! You are enough, you are doing a great job, remember that and stop beating yourself up!
6. Sometimes, changing the sheets is all there is to a successful day! You did something, you moved! And sometimes that movement doing something very unrelated to the task at hand (e.g., me writing my book) sets the wheels in motion to continue on in meeting our goals. At other times, it does not and that’s okay.
So, if the only task you have engaged in today is changing your sheets, let me be the first to tell you, you are fine, you are complete. And it’s all okay.
Carrie Reed is personal development and leadership coach who facilitates workshops, retreats and strategic sessions designed to help individuals and teams discover, design and achieve their best in life (personally and professionally). She owns McHale Group, LLC an international consulting firm and is the founder of Women’s Wizdom site – a one-stop-shop for women to develop and explore their life’s possibilities in connection with other women. She is also founder of the Williamson County chapter of 100 Women Who Care – a philanthropy dedicated to providing service and funds to support local 501c3 organizationss. She is the proud mama to two young boys with her husband and enjoys spending time exploring all the fun adventures this world has to offer.