Why Are We So Busy?

I’ve had occasion to “slow down” a bit recently. A clumsy fall resulted in a broken left arm at the wrist level which required surgery. While I don’t recommend breaking your arm I do recommend periodic “breaks” from the normal routine.  During this particular “break” I have been doing a little more reading than normal. I’ve actually begun reading a novel series (I”m in book 3 of 5) which I haven’t done for a very long time. I’m also reading a book by teacher Skye Jethani. (http://www.skyejethani.com) I really enjoy his direct way of teaching. He presents his thoughts in a clear manner, challenging you to think and/or research for yourself. Well, more about that later but yes, this is a recommendation to check out his two books and blog.

There are a couple of “thoughts” that keep surfacing in the past couple of weeks when I have been moving a bit slower. Neither of these thoughts are new. They have just resurfaced in my life. How many times in the past 24 hours have you heard from others or thought for yourself, “I am so busy.” One of my pet peeves is when I”m “so busy” that I can’t really enjoy what I’m doing. Usually it’s because while I’m doing something today I’m also thinking about what needs to be done tonight and/or tomorrow. Those thoughts rob me of completely soaking in the current moment. More and more my husband and I are making choices. Choices that sometimes frustrate those around us. We are choosing not to “do” so many different things. The real question is why are we so busy? What makes us keep doing one more thing? I believe our culture here in America contributes to this greatly. We have become a “me” society. Everything revolves around “me.” I need to feel good about myself. In order to do that I need to be recognized for who I am. I want the praise of others. I want to be needed. I want to be comfortable. I want to have fun. I want …. well you get the idea. One of the main problems I see with this mentality is much of the time we depend on others to make us feel the way we want or get what we want. We expect ALOT from others and from ourselves. The problem with that is we can not control others.(period) We can request. We can influence. We cannot make anyone do anything – not really.

I could go on and on about this but for today let’s leave it at this. What are you expecting of yourself that isn’t totally up to you? How much “control” do you really have in this area of your life? So how does that thought change things or does it?