Ditching “I’m busy!”
Um... what happened to September? I am in disbelief. I previously wrote that it was the fastest summer on record and suddenly here we are, looking at pumpkins and Halloween.
I'm also looking at a busy month. I gulped wordlessly when scrolling through my calendar. "Yikes! I'm busy!" I said to myself. "Nope, I'm really busy," I then said. Lots going on at my day job. A big JMT Speaks keynote later this month. (Woot woot!) A busy schedule for my kindergartener (but hey, that also doubles as my social life.) I walked around repeating "I'm busy!" for a day or two, feeling my stomach knot up and my anxiety go aflutter as I carried the mental baggage. But you know what?
I'm not busy anymore. Why not? Well, my calendar looks the same but I've adopted a new attitude. Instead of repeating the gloomy mantra of busyness, I've rephrased to: "I have a lot of exciting things coming up!" and "I have so many opportunities I'm excited about!" Oh, and the overachiever in me says: "I love a challenge!" while the recovering perfectionist says: "Done is better than perfect!" Ok, you get the drift.
To be clear, I'm not advocating toxic positivity. That's not my thing. It's not going to an easy month. There are going to be hard days. But to manifest the life I want and accomplish the things I've set out to, some seasons and months are going to be busier or tougher than others. Yes, I'm going to freak out. Yes, I'm going to kick myself at one point (or two or three). But I will NOT frenetically reply when asked how I am doing, "I'm so busy!" I will not allow this soundtrack to play over and over in my head, poisoning my thoughts and attitude.
Honestly, this simple wordsmithing caused a physical change that I noticed right away. When switching over to the "excitement" and "opportunity" mindset and talking to myself in this way, I involuntarily felt the corners of my mouth turn up. I felt those fines lines around my eyes that otherwise drive me nuts start to crinkle. I was smiling. I was, indeed, excited about the opportunities ahead of me. <Cue: I'm So Excited! by the Pointer Sisters.>
I am lucky: I got what I wished for! A day job I love; a business that is my passion; a beautiful family; and lots going on with each of those all in one magical 31-day period. Oh, and that JMT Speaks keynote coming up? It's about avoiding burnout. Touché!
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