This week has been productive. Not easy, but productive. The beginning of May is a crazy busy time in the entertainment biz and work has been nonstop, and with work this insane there’s not much time for anything life-related. But who am I kidding? May is no different than December than August. It’s always ON all the time.
Lately I find myself talking to people more about my new interest in minimalism and the topic keeps coming up in conversation, mainly because I am bringing it up, but it seems lots of folks out there are also looking for a way to simplify their lives and focus on the things that matter most to them.
My friend and colleague Peggy told me a story about her travels last week — she was on a plane coming back from a work trip and she found herself seated beside a quiet gentleman who happens to be a “swami to the stars.” As they chatted across the timezones, he told her that the one secret to life is to figure out what your passion is (or what you want out of life) and set yourself on a path to getting there. He said too many of us take wrong turns, or paths unintended, or waste our time on things that don’t get us any closer to our true calling.
I liked hearing about their conversation, and it felt good to take a few minutes out of the day for some warm conversation and human bonding instead of just deadlines and project updates and status reports. Time is passing so quickly and some days are just a blur… drag myself out of bed, get a few tasks snuck in before getting off to work (late for a meeting no doubt!) and then all day it’s busy busy busy. Sometimes I roll into the driveway and it’s 9 pm and the day is done and I feel more behind than the day before.
I may not know my ultimate true calling, but you can be damn sure that paragraph above isn’t it.
Our trip to Stockholm came at exactly the right time — I needed that little breathing room to rest and think and recharge. The week I got back I hired someone new to help on one of my bigger projects, offloaded some work to one of our most talented designers (who did a better job than I would have done) and miraculously made time to set and keep a few personal goals. It’s about prioritizing my life first, and tasks second (not easy for me.) This is why my everyday goals and my little stickers are important — I have to think of my needs/goals/hopes/desires daily instead of putting it off until I have “free time.” HAH HAH free time.
Now it’s Friday, the end of another crazy week. I managed to fit in a couple of walks and some French lessons, and I packed a healthy lunch for the whole week. It may not seem like a lot of progress in five days, but it’s cumulative, right? Wash, rinse, and repeat that for six months and I may even be able to walk a four-mile-per-hour pace while saying something tres frenchie. So with that in mind, it is time to get off the computer and get into some jogging shoes. Still got a chance to get that exercise sticker for today 😉
Today: I still haven’t moved completely out of my old office or into my new office, but no one seems to mind. I made smoothies for breakfast and lunch. The Captain flew to Phoenix and we had a really great talk on the phone. A project at work came to a weird end but everyone handled it well.
