I often feel like I don’t have nearly enough weeks where I “empty the tank.” I work very hard, but I see so many opportunities missed, so many tasks incomplete.
“If only I’d….”
- Because how will I write the book if I don’t dig in a little harder?
- Because how will I build the new idea if I don’t turn the TV off?
- Because how will I “finish” the website, or get ahead of my blog, if I don’t replace leisure with work?
…
But few people on their death beds regret not having worked harder. Typically what people regret at the end is not spending enough time on the things that matter: friends, family, pets, their health, etc.
It’s tough to be driven yet grounded.
The competitive drive in me wants me to work harder, work longer days, complete more tasks, become a titan as quickly as possible. It causes me to question non-work related activities.
The practical side of me knows better. It’s the side of me that likes people, that likes to relax, and that likes to spend a few minutes in the middle of the work day just wrestling my dog and hugging her.
Maybe running on empty isn’t about the task list. Maybe it’s about giving everything, everywhere in life. And maybe that what keeps us from ever being empty?
Wanda says
As a mom, wife, student, owner of 2 small businesses. I struggle with this issue every day. I am up at 5:30 and go to sleep many days at 1am. Coffee is my main source of fuel somdays. But I push because ofmy kids I want them to know they have
options, they can live their dreams. My to do list is never completed but I dont how I would feel if it were.
Jeff Gibbard says
How much time do we spend reading our social streams versus reading to our kids? It’s easy when pressing at full tilt to miss the important things. So long as your to do list always includes the ones you love and the things you love, you never want it to be empty.