Minimalist

I had this AHA! moment a few days back that’s been impacting for a while now.

I broke down the other day and messaged some friends for some emotional support. I’ve been feeling so frustrated with not having time for all my priorities. Like important priorities! Steffen, Waylon, Charles, health, making nutritious meals, friendships, finances, housekeeping… you know. I was thankful to my trusty friends that all pretty much said this: you can’t do it all.

I hate hearing that. But it’s true.

Fast forward a few days.

I was listening to The Minimalists podcast and they had a question come in about priorities. One of the guys said that so many people say they have all these priorities but yet their lives don’t reflect it.

Woah!

I looked at my own list and was hit in the face. I have been saying for the last three years that health is my priority, but really, is it? How is it obvious that it’s my priority? Am I actually limiting and controlling food that goes in my mouth? Am I making time to exercise? Am I removing things from my life that are inhibiting me from reaching my health goals?

I sat down and journaled a little bit and created two lists: 1) what I say my priorities are, and 2) what the recent past reveals my priorities are.  I am mostly proud of what my priorities are, especially since I truly think most days reflect a huge effort of time to prioritize my boys and my husband. But after making those lists, I realized that I definitely don’t make health a priority, and social media is taking up space where time for exercise or meal prep could be.

So, action plan:

• Maybe wake up an hour before the boys and do a quick work out three times a week?
• Minimize social media browsing to one time slot per day, like maybe just before bed or something.
• Remember my mantra:  “Every day I have the choice to prioritize my health by controlling what goes in my mouth.”