Destiny is not a matter of chance; but a matter of choice. It is not something to be waited for, it is something to be achieved. ~~William Jennings Bryan
I don't remember exactly where I first found those words, but I know that it was while I was in the 6th grade. For a multitude of reasons, the words stuck with me. I made the choice to own the words, to make them a part of my soul, to live the mantra.
All these years later, I still do. What they mean to me and how I use them to motivate myself has changed many times over, but it has always boiled down to one thing--I try very hard to make the choices now that will lead to the destiny I want to grab.
In recent years, they have been the words that help me find balance.
I work full time in a corporate environment. I parent a 5-year old. I blog. I clean. I cook. I deal with a bunch of cats and dogs. I garden. I am a DIY ninja. It can't all happen at the same time, and it could be hugely overwhelming to try to figure out how to balance it all. However, I refuse to allow it to be overwhelming. After all, it really does boil down to simply figuring out the right choices now that will lead to the tomorrow that I want.
There are some things that aren't really a choice. I have to go to work each day. There's a domino effect of other things that have to be done because of that--lunches have to be made, Alexis has to be awake and dressed at a particular time, I have to be presentable at a particular time. But, once the work day ends, it's all about making choices.
Should I finish painting the dining room? I mean, that project has been in progress since March. I'm getting mighty sick of walking through there and seeing something that is nearly finished. Or maybe I should clean up the kitchen? It definitely could use some attention. Oh, and the garden needs to be watered. And don't forget about that half-painted dresser down in the basement. But it's so nice outside!
Time management. It's the elusive magical unicorn in everyone's life, but I think there's a simple way to address it. Before you can effectively manage time, you have to learn to figure out what does not have to be done. The painting? It's only bothering me. The kitchen? It has been worse. The garden? There's a chance it could rain tomorrow. Nothing is going to die between now and then. The dresser? It's part of a domino effect of projects, so getting it done would mean a LOT of things could get done. But, again, while it needs done, it really doesn't need to be done right this second. Outside? The absolutely perfect weather we had this evening is certainly not something that happens all that often. And Alexis? She's only this age right now. She's growing entirely too quickly . . . in a flash.
I decided heading outside with Alexis really was the best use of my time. For today.
Tomorrow I may make a different choice.
But I will never regret a choice. I will never stress out about all the things that aren't done, especially since a lot of them don't *have* to be done.
All I can do is choose to achieve.
