Overcrowded

from Organic Style magazine, no longer in print

"If your life is in harmony..then your life is full and good, but not overcrowded. If it is overcrowded, you are doing more than is right for you, more than is your job to do in the total scheme of things" - Peace Pilgrim, Activist

{Written in 2008. Just found this post that I never published. Funny how we find things when we need to.}

There is work that gives more energy and there is work that strips you of vital life energy - and making the distinction is key to the health of your body, mind and spirit. Full schedules are not the problem - pushing yourself beyond your limits is. So again, know yourself - know what you are capable of and where you are pushing too far, too hard and too much.

For me, it is the simple and extremely difficult path of learning to say "No". My natural inclination is to say "Yes" without even thinking about it - and then feeling overwhelmed and overloaded when I am over-committed. So, I am practicing with little triumphs - saying "no" to little requests for my time and energy.

As I get clear about my "work in the total scheme of things", it gets easier to say no - to events, tasks, jobs, opportunities and things that do not serve my greater purpose and life mission. And all of a sudden my calendar is no longer overcrowded, though it is still full.

So I urge you - look at your days and see where you too can pause and make some space.