What's your key response when someone asks you how you're doing? Do you usually say "Busy" like I do?
Do you feel a need to validate yourself with this term, "busy"?
Does it make you feel more valuable and needed?
Does it give you a good feeling to seem more important?
Because honestly, that's how I feel sometimes. Sometimes I want people to know I'm busy because then they'll know that my time is important, which in turn means I'm important and my life is as well.
However, if you really sit down and think about this, which I did last night on the train ride home, you'll realize it's ridiculous. Saying you're busy all the time doesn't make you better than anyone, it doesn't give you or your life more value and it isn't necessary. You don't need to validate yourself to anyone other than yourself and you already know how busy you are!
The other side of this dirty coin is that we constantly feel the need and the pressure to be busy. At least I do. It's like this: everyone seems busy, therefore I need to be busy to keep up, which causes me to tell people I'm busy all the time. Sounds crazy right? Well it is.
It's crazy to think that the only way we are valuable or our time is meaningful is if we don't stop. If we move from one responsibility to another with barely a breath in between. Oh good, laundry is done, now I can wash the car, now I can wrap presents, now I can....... It's tiring just writing it out.
Seriously, how did we become a society that is constantly rushing from one thing to another and being proud of it? When did it become a bad thing to slow down and just relax? I don't really know when this happened but I'm stopping.
I am not going to hide behind the shield of busyness.
I am not going to keep rushing
I am going to stop feeling like my self-worth is tied to how much I get done in a day.
Instead
I am going to start to walk slower, live slower and be happier.
Yes there were will days that I have a lot to do BUT that's life and it's no reason to tell the world that I'm "busy" all the time.
Rather, if you ask me how I'm doing I'll tell you the truth - I'm doing great!