This is not a post about Targeted Marketing Efforts. It is really about my latest bullseye.
I have always had a fondness for archery since I tried it years ago in gym class. From what I remember I was not exactly a toxophilite, but I did well enough to like it and think it was something I would like to do again.
But as time passed, I went from working and going to high school to working and going to college. Then I officially started my career, and after many years where all I did was work for other people, I had two babies and a business of my own I was dedicated to. At this time all I thought about was my business and my family, and that was honestly all I thought I had time to think about.
It’s not like I did not have other interests. I always wanted to get better at snowboarding and dancing, but I think the line blurs between lack of time and lack of energy with little ones. And it is very accurate what they say about how they grow up too fast.
So now they are 4 and 7-years old, and we relocated to North Raleigh, NC., and are lucky enough to have a house with a property that is surrounded by 100ft oak trees and loblolly pines leading to the woodlands that surround Falls Lake.
It could be the fact that my children are both in school full time now, or because my thoughtful husband heard me mention how our yard would be great for archery and that is why he gifted me an awesome bow and arrows. But now, I actually take the time to go outside and do it.
To those women who have businesses and who have mastered the art of time management and “me time” while being super mom, this will sound like small potatoes. But for someone like me, who was convinced I had no time for “hobbies,” this is a big deal. And what is even more amazing as I look at the past year is that I am running, doing archery, yoga, occasionally kickboxing and now learning to play the violin.
My dedication to my business has not changed. Nor has my focus on my family. Today alone: we made brownies, learned about tornados, made snow and sculpted a volcano.
Yes, somehow I have been able to carve out enough time here and there to do other things that are enriching my life, and I genuinely believe contributing to my work and my family.
If you asked anyone a few years ago, they would have told you that I always said that I didn’t have the time for anything other than work. In the past, I truly believed that. But what I found was I did not know how to make the time, or how to start pursuing something I wanted to do just for me. I spent too much of my life stuck in this mindset. But, if I can change, you can change too.
I am not an expert here, and I can only speak from my experience, but I thought I could share a tip that might help another working parent who may be stuck too.
Start with one thing.
You’d be surprised how making one decision and acting on it leads to the next. If you want to start in the morning, set out your sweats before you go to bed then get up and go for a walk or a run before your body and mind have a chance to catch up with reasons why you can’t. If you prefer to start in the evening, pick up a book and read just a few sentences. You will find your way back for the following day for more.
Think you don’t have time to read? Noreen Bifulco, our wise wordsmith, recommended Podcasts to me and now I listen while I make the kids breakfast. The point is just to start somewhere.
Please try it.
Even if you don’t realize it now, you will feel better about yourself, revitalize your work efforts and give the people that you care about an even better you to love back.
