THE NOW SOUND

We all have the same 24 hours in the day. Some of us are blessed with more days. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. Life gets busy and can get overwhelming at times. We seem too busy with certain things that we can feel like we don’t have time for the things we want to do. We can get in our heads about how far along other people are in their journey. Sometimes, we get down on ourselves for this very reason.

My life is filled with busyness and distraction. In the time that I am writing this, I feel as if I am burning the midnight oil and there is not much left. It is at this moment I have to remind myself that I DO have all the time in the world. I had to pause for a second and look at my day-to-day. I had to be still although every part of my being was against it. My to-do list which seemed so pressing had to be put on pause and my time had to be spent with myself instead of projected externally towards my work and friends. It felt counterproductive yet I knew that it was a necessary step to take in order to be launched forward. I needed to put the focus back into motivation.

Motivation is like showering; you have to do it every day. I let myself feel tired and rest but I needed to remind myself to be kind to myself and not think negatively of it. I reminded myself of the things that I want in life and what I valued. It was when I gave myself to think and to feel did my spark come back. I noticed I was using my time on things that didn’t add to my life like gaming, watching tv as I fell asleep, and my biggest weakness, scrolling through social media aimlessly for a long time. These are my guilty pleasures. I was giving myself instant gratification to hide from the stress and exhaustion that it was building up inside me until I finally broke. For the record, I couldn’t just cut all this out but I am more mindful of where my time goes. The simple question of “is this helping me?” has made the decision-making a lot easier.

I can’t always be on. I don’t believe anyone can without reaching that breaking point. That’s why it is so important to practice self-care and to listen to your body. When people think about reaching goals, they think that it happens all at once – that it has to be hard. You need to sacrifice everything in order to get sh*t done, but a little every day creates big change. Consistency is a discipline and a recipe for success. I realized that I can’t be productive if I am not putting myself first yet I know that I need to dedicate a small step every day in the right direction even if it’s only an hour to work out or 20 minutes to work on my blog or a 5-minute check-in with myself and my vision. If I need a nap, I will take a nap. I allow myself balance to prevent burnout. Sometimes, it feels like I’ll go a long time before I see any progression and get discouraged because of it.

“I work so hard.”

“I’m not doing enough.”

“I’m never going to make it.”

False. These limiting beliefs I set in my head mess with me. They take me out of focus and hold me back. Water boils at 100 degrees celsius – but what happens if the fire runs out at 99? Just like the water, the work it takes to warm it up is happening even if we don’t see the result right away.

I am so guilty at looking at other people’s lives and comparing theirs to mine.

“Why do they have an apartment and I don’t?”

“How come they make more money than me?”

“If I knew what they did earlier, I would have the same life as them.”

There is no time limit to the milestones we reach. No one says you have to get married or be a homeowner or own your own business by 30. What matters is that you reach them. Period. I am starting again in my late 20s and who’s to say I won’t fail again. I say I will make it! I had to try my hand at a few careers to find out I didn’t want to do that for the rest of my life. While others my age are established and ready to jump into marriage and parenthood, I know my time will come but at my pace and there is nothing wrong with that.

You have all the time in the world even if it doesn’t feel like it. It’s okay to be busy, tired and burnt out. It’s okay to feel behind. It’s okay to want to take a nap. Remember what you want though! Remember to be kind to yourself. Remember that you are capable and willing to do the work. Remember that you will make it if you keep going. You have all the time in the world.