You Can't Always Have It All, All At The Same Time

In so many ways, 2010 was one of the best years of my life culminating literally at year end by getting married (12/29/2010 to be exact). Also on the huge, life altering yet amazing front for 2010--I'm (we're) expecting a bundle of joy. All things I can check off my larger life "To Do" list.

2010 also brought one of the most taxing work schedules I've had in a number of years, replete a delicate dance of almost weekly travel since September, sandwiched with trying to keep up with a full slate of clients. Add to this first trimester fatigue and nausea and planning a destination wedding in less than two months and you have what I like to call a Time Management Hot Mess (TMHM).

In short, I quickly had to confront the reality that all I had time for out of my blog title was the "work" and "eat" (and "eat" is meant in more of a functional than enjoyable way) part.

Here's what I learned: you can't always have it all, all at the same time.

Turns out Balance is not a perfectionist like I pretend to be. Not even close! Even though it says right at the top of this blog that I try to do all four things at the same time--sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. Time is limited and sometimes it feels like we don't have a choice about how we get to spend the time we do have--a rather unpleasant piece of grown up reality.

But here's what else I learned: it's ok if we can't Live, Work, Eat & Play all at the same time, all the time as long as it doesn't go on for too long.

I got through this TMHM knowing two things: 1.) some really wonderful things were going to come out of it and 2.) the patch was limited in time. My first trimester would be over; my project had an end date; and the wedding would come and go. Knowing that there was light at the end of the tunnel and that I would, in fact, get to see that light was a motivator. It allowed me to let go of my need/want to have things balanced and just hunker down and get through the end of each day. I always forget how powerful and liberating letting go can be--even when faced with letting go of something you value so highly.

Happily, I'm now spending time recalibrating the balance scales once again--reacquainting myself with my want/need to have things balanced. I'm trying to appreciate and savor that feeling of having the concept of balance seem like a concrete possibility--even if I now know better than ever that it's likely for a limited duration. Being a kid in the "I can chose what I do with my time" candy store is truly invigorating.

Today I've already done two things I've been saying I want to do for a long time now: going for a swim and blogging. Tomorrow, back to meditation class. Moving on to yoga after that. Riding the glorious wave while I have it.

Happy New Year! Wishing you as many pockets of "having it all, all at the same time" as possible in 2011.