Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after taking some time away from the internet. Sometimes you just need to unplug, right? I’ve been busy with my work, my writing, and my family, just like you, I’m sure.
Today, I’d like to chat about choosing how we spend our lives. We only get so many years on this earth, and since I’m drawing closer to my twilight years, it has become more important than ever that I spend my life in the way that makes me happy.
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The first thing that needs to be done is that you need to set priorities, and these are different for each individual. I’m sure everyone’s going to say, “I want to be happy” and it’s true, we all do. However, we need to go deeper than that. What makes us happy? What makes our hearts sing and fills us with peace?
You could spend your life chasing after a dream, accomplishing your goals and receiving accolades from an adoring public.
You could spend it creating a warm and loving family.
You could spend it searching for knowledge and inner peace.
You could spend it helping others and being of service to your fellow man.
There are millions of ways to spend your life. You get to choose, and it’s a daunting task for sure.
So, when I decided to make sure I was making the most of my time on earth, the first thing I decided was that I wanted a family, but I also wanted to be home with my kids. I didn’t want to send them off to daycare, but this also meant that I’d have to put my career on hold. This is the hard part. Sometimes when we choose priorities, we have to make sacrifices, and sometimes those sacrifices can be hard, but in the end, I feel like I did the right thing for me.
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While I was home, I rediscovered my love for writing. My passion grew as my writing improved. It seemed like the better I got the more I wanted to do it. I’m sure you’ve been in that situation before as well, when you discovered your passion.
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So, when I look at how many hours I have in the day and where I want to spend my time. I don’t have to spend a lot of time thinking about the answer because I already know. It makes choosing how I spend my day so much easier because I know what the extraneous garbage is that takes up so much of my time and I know to just let that go. It’s amazing how setting priorities or goals unclutters your mind and your life.
Do I have regrets? No. Does that mean I am a perfect parent? No. It does mean I tried my best. I’m sure there are days I could’ve handled things better, but I’m sure every parent feels that way. Plus, I rediscovered my truest passion and I’m working on improving my craft, and that’s when I seem to be the happiest. Everything else is just extra stuff that used to take up my time. Now every minute counts and that’s how I want to spend my life. How about you? Have you thought about it? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!
Nice post dear, rate now working on trying to rebuild it from the ground up.
❤️✌️
BY FOR NOW
Good luck with that. I’m sure you’ll do just fine. 🙂
This is a good reminder. Every now and then I think about what makes me happiest and then make sure my daily activities are in alignment with that.
It’s sometimes too easy to get off track. I think ya wonderful that you are doing what you love every day 😊
Thanks, Michelle! I agree, it is easy to get off track so every once in a while I stop and reassess where I’m at and sometimes, the sacrifices I have to make are hard, but in the long run they’re worth it. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it!
Reblogged this on Dream Big, Dream Often.
Thanks for the reblog! I appreciate it!
It’s funny how I always procrastinate about writing and do everything else before I sit down to it. Why do I do this when it’s the thing I love the most? I think I waste a lot of my time to be honest, and I feel guilty if I spend too much time sitting down at the laptop. 😱
I hear you. I used to feel guilty, too because I wasn’t doing housework, but I got over that quickly. LOL!
I do some housework each day and reward myself with my writing. I’m always trying to strive for balance. 🙂
Housework is never ending. I may just have to give it up altogether 😜
LOL! I’m with you on that one! 😉
April Reign has said that “What I do today is important, because I’m exchanging a day of my life for it.”
I think you have beautifully expanded on that idea with this post😍😍😍😍
Awwww….thanks! I appreciate your kind words. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂 🙂 🙂
As always, you’ve written an inspiring and thought-provoking post, Lisa. I choose to stay at home with my son and have never regretted it. I also learned to write from the ground up. Cheers and thanks!
Thanks for stopping by, Sharon! I appreciate your kind words and I’m glad you have no regrets! 🙂
Lisa, such a wonderful reminder. It’s so important to be intentional about where we spend our time. Honing your craft and keeping clear priorities is so important.
All the best.
Thanks for stopping by and your kind words. I appreciate it! 🙂
Just finished book The Myths of Happiness and it talked about how experiences (over buying stuff), setting goals and creating the life you want bring happiness. I think you have this covered.
Thanks for stopping by, Amelia! You are so right about experiences and setting goals is the foundation for happiness. That book sounds like a good one and I just may have to pick up a copy and read it. 🙂
Lisa, I very much respect your decision to stay home with your kids. I am doing the same right now, and yes, there are hard days, but for the most part I wouldn’t trade it for anything. This time has not only given me time with my kids that I will always cherish, and yes, time to write and paint too. Oh, and good for you for taking some time away from the internet. I’ve done a lot of that this past summer as summer activities took over most of my free time. But, that’s okay. I have a long winter ahead of me. Wonderful post, Lisa!
Awww….thanks, Erin. I appreciate your kind words. It’s good to get away from the internet and spend time with our families and solidify those relationships. Yes, winter is coming and we’ll be stuck inside. I’m hoping to finish the revisions on the two stories I’ve been working on. Cross your fingers for me! Have you given any more thought about a story about your family farm?
I will cross all my fingers and toes for you, Lisa! You’ll do great. As for my thoughts on the story about my family farm, I’d still love to do it sometime. I’ve never written a book, so it’s hard to know where to begin. 🙂 My goal for this winter is to set up a shop to sell my paintings, and begin my first book. Lofty goals, I know! But, I should have more time than usual this winter, so it’s a good time to pursue those goals. I wish you were closer so I could chat and learn from you. 🙂
Awww… I do, too. It’s always good to chat about writing with a fellow author. When you get ready to go maybe we could chat on the phone or via skype. I’m always willing to help another writer out. 🙂
Thanks so much, Lisa! I would love that. 🙂