Take Your Time Back With Two Simple Words

A couple of words keep coming up in my coaching sessions this week relating to being overwhelmed.  When we are overwhelmed and feel out of time, we are not at our best.  Determining how to change this comes down to two words. 

Drumroll please….Should and Joy.

In my blogs, I have mentioned the word should quite a bit.  It is a red flag – if you are thinking of doing something because you should, it is worth examining.  Should is a word I am often cued into in my own internal dialog when determining whether to do something, or what to do next.  

Should is an indicator that you may be doing something for the wrong reason. The real question is – do you want to? Will it bring you joy? 

Here is where my internal dialog kicks in again – if I am only doing what brings me joy, am I being selfish or irresponsible? 

There are some things that need to be done because we are being responsible, such as making a living and paying bills.  But some we just do without even knowing why.  Only we can make the determination between what is important to us and what may not be as important, but we feel like we should do it anyway.  These less important tasks can come at a cost though, and could result in us sacrificing our happiness or our health, or simply keep us from being our best.  We end up using space in our lives on what isn’t calling us – that internal compass that makes us uniquely who we are.

Looking within the buckets in your life and using these parameters can be helpful.  For instance, I started using this when thinking of exercising.  I should exercise.  Well, what exercise do I want to do?  What would bring me joy? When I ask it with this filter, it is more fun and, oftentimes, I exercise longer.  

Being aware of Should and Joy helps us to determine what works for us.  The more we listen to this internal compass of what fulfills us, the more meaningful and productive we can be – and joyful.  

What things do you do just because you think you should?  

Why do you think this is so?

What things do you want to do more of because they bring you joy?