I posted a photo yesterday on Facebook yesterday. I was sitting on my “man chair” by the fireplace reading a book. My son was drinking his tea while reading Percy Jackson. It was a calm and peaceful moment that I wanted to capture.
Why? Because it took a lot of work to get there.
It took work during the entire week so that I had the free time to sit and read without a bunch of chores and work stressing me out.
It has taken years of screen time breaks to get my kids to disengage long enough to read without complaining two minutes into it.
Most of all, it took years of training myself to do two things:
- Sort through what’s truly a priority and what just seems important.
- Identify everything that steals my energy and mindset – and avoid it like a plague.
Early on, I found moments of peace. Scraps of time or a brief conversation with my kids that made me smile. As those moments became longer and more frequent, I knew I was getting somewhere.
Is it perfect? Nope.
I have some awful moments, weeks… even months.
But I’m making progress.
And here’s the thing most people don’t understand – I do this because it’s not natural for me!
I’m not naturally calm or centered.
Finding or growing this ability – whatever you want to call it – has taken years of work and lots of failure.
I quit many times and still feel like it quite often.
But I always had a picture of what I wanted in my mind. A serene environment. Happy moments with my boys. A safe place at home that re-energizes me. And every day I take a step toward that vision. Some days I see it very clearly.
Keep moving forward,
Nick
Being retired it is very easy to lose track of time, days, appointments, socializing etc. But using your “Define my Day” my priorities are a bit different than the younger generations.
I keep track of commitments, appointments and those things I want and need done for myself to keep me healthy and happy.