living up to high expectations
many of you surprised and delighted me by jumping out of the woodwork last week in the comment section of this post. i was struck (and hugely flattered) by the number of readers who said that they admired my ability to handle such a busy lifestyle while continuing to live a balanced/healthy life.
well, i don’t want to disappoint you all. and even worse, i hate coming short of my own expectations for myself! but yesterday i felt neither healthy, balanced, nor productive.
■ i was a giant stress-ball all day at work. every principle of mindfulness that i have ever written about? out the proverbial window. the dalai lama could have floated into clinic ready to bestow his wisdom upon me, and i wouldn’t have been able to listen.
■ i didn’t get my studying in, and i am now behind in my master plan (yeah, just one day so far, but still).
■ “dinner” was chips and salsa, with a cold slice of leftover pizza thrown in for good measure. yeah, how do you like my healthy lifestyle now???
■ i have what feels like 50 odds-and-ends to do, ranging from paying bills to booking a hotel for a beach weekend (because clearly, i need one!), to calling patients to follow up on results for work. and i feel very uneasy about my ability to get it all done in a timely manner, without unraveling.
obviously, i am not thrilled about my life’s current state of disarray. and sometimes — i’ll admit it — it adds insult to injury feeling like i will disappoint all of you as well!
so, i guess i’m just hoping that this isn’t the case, and that today is a better day.
7 Comments
PS I hope today is better for you!
Aww, Sarah! I think it's more that you are able to maintain an overall healthy lifestyle and balance of organization that we all admire. Everyone has their bad days! The fact that even MOST days you manage to eat decently, work out, and have a house that isn't a mess is impressive to me. I can't remember the last time I finished everything on my to do list, and you are such an inspiration to those of us who are also striving to 'do it all'!
Hey SHU! You will think this is totally whack… or you will TOTALLY get it…
but where oh where did you get the spiral notebook featured in your "organization" tab in the extra hour section that is graph paper AND… wait for it…
different colored tabbed sections behind it?
I am in love and totally coveting that notebook!
P.S. I find great comfort in this post, because as much as I'm inspired by your focus and planning (and love of all things paper) it is incredibly comforting to know you're human… that's what keeps me coming back!
Susan Mc 🙂
I, too, agree with all the above. As a recovering perfectionist, it helps me tremendously to know that the other folks I see out there who seem to always have it together aren't perfect either. We're all just human!
I had to look up this quote because I couldn't quite remember it, and it's perfect for today:
"You may have a fresh start at any moment you choose, for this thing that we call "failure" is not the falling down, but the staying down."
– Mary Pickford
Don't be so hard on yourself. We all have off days. Just keep thinking about that beach vacation 😛
I know you didn't want to have ongoing talk about babies but really, this is great practice for how things will be with kids. Its an opportunity to try to let stress go when life interferes with the best of plans. Hang in there; just keep the pace and it will even out.
Haha. You can't disappoint us! We'll just keep coming back 😉 Here's hoping you get a wave of calm and peace coming your way. BTW, loved your restaurant post!! I was going to suggest Butternut Squash (vegetarian/vegan restaurant) on Franklin Street, b/c I walked by it the other night and the menu sounded amazing, but I haven't actually had a chance to try it yet. Hubs isn't really into veg food 😉