Always busy but never satisfied?
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Happy Friday, Intentionalists!
Have you noticed how busy we’ve all become? Ask anyone how they are these days and the answer is nearly always ‘Busy’. But the reply has an unexpressed desire in it, a longing for a time in the future when we might be less busy and more able to savour life. The days, weeks and years are whizzing by without any sense of satisfaction with how we are spending our time.
Even so, we all know at least one person who has a full schedule and yet seems to be enjoying a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction about their life. They never appear rushed, distracted or exhausted. What is their secret? The world’s most fabulous planner? A supportive spouse? An efficient personal assistant?
Here’s what we’ve noticed about people like that:
They are clear about their purpose and priorities, and they always attend to those first.
They don’t always have their foot on the pedal. They know how to rest and reset.
PROMPT QUESTIONS
Write down the three most important things you want your life to be about right now. Is it to develop your career? To create a warm inviting home for your family? To pursue a passion or hobby? To be fit and healthy?
1.
2.
3.
Now reflect on the past week. What activities did you do that were directly focussed on those priorities?
What activities did you perform that had little or nothing to do with your main purpose and priorities?
It’s the items in your second list that you are going to have to reduce or eliminate because they are coming at a cost to your life satisfaction.
Which of those activities can you start to ease out of your life starting this coming week?
People who can accomplish many things without becoming ‘busy’ know how to relax properly. They give their brains a chance to rest and reset.
That dissatisfying sense of busyness is not just the result of an overfull schedule. It’s also the product of an overwhelmed and distracted brain. The reason for this is constant stimulation. We used to get in elevators and watch the buttons light up as we passed the floors or go for walks and listen to the birds and other sounds of nature. Now we get in elevators and immediately check our phones or think of going for a walk as an excellent opportunity to catch up on a call or listen to a podcast.
Rather than making us more efficient, constantly filling up every minute of our day with stimulation makes us feel confused, unfocussed and dissatisfied.
Great ways to get our brains to rest are:
Breathing – next time you are in an elevator or waiting in the car to pick up your children from school, instead of immediately reaching for your phone, take one minute to breathe slowly. That’s just six slow breaths in and out, and yet it can make a world of difference to your sense of well-being.
Reading - instead of scrolling social media. It could be reading a book or reading a newsletter like this one. Reading gives your brain a chance to take information in slowly. The material that you absorb is more likely to be satisfying too – like the difference between wolfing down fast food and savouring a slow-cooked meal.
Do one thing at a time with your complete attention instead of multi-tasking This is the secret of mindfulness. Practice this a few times a day and even a task like washing the dishes can become a deeply restful meditation.
Take at least one thing from the above list and write down when you are consciously going to practise it today. A rested brain is a happier, more satisfied brain.
Applying what you have learned in today’s newsletter to your coming week will most certainly lead to less ‘busyness’ and more satisfaction. We wish you well!
FEEL GOOD AFFIRMATION
I focus on what is most important in my life and let the rest go.
(Write this out slowly ten times)
KELLY’S GIGGLE GIVERS
I’m looking up to the sky this week. Did you know that comets have a smell?
I wish I could tell you it was something delicious like freshly popped popcorn, puppy breath or peonies, but no. It’s more akin to the tantilising combination of urine, burning matches, almonds and rotten eggs.
While our eyes are still skyward, have you ever wondered what the sun sounds like? No? That’s fair, but the sun actually generates sound! How cool is that? It’s in the form of pressure waves, though and unfortunately, outside our range of human hearing.
While we don’t know what it sounds like, I’d like to imagine it’s the sound comedian Alan Davies made as The Wow Monster on Taskmaster. The contestants on the show had to make a noise without The Taskmaster identifying who they were and Alan’s was … spectacular🤌:
Here’s it is:
If you have a moment, please enjoy the longer version:
Be an intentionalist.
When you feel good, you feel inspired, passionate, confident and ready to be your greatest self.
With Love and Intention,
Belinda & Kelly XX