Just try saying 'No' to that face.
As I write this, I really should be working. I should be cleaning, or folding laundry...or printing off cards or shipping orders. Or a numerous pile of tasks in my head that keep swirling around and around because I have children and often feel limitless in my capacity to do anything. When I have the time....I soar. I get so much done. I produce mounds of crinkled paper filling my waste all marked with completed "TO DO" lists. The key factor which seems to be disturbing my mood at the moment, is TIME. I don't have that TIME everyone is always asking for. IF I had time...WHEN I have time...IF I ONLY had time. Here is the truth folks: It doesn't come. At least for me it doesn't. I keep begging for my fairy tale story to come true: I am swept off my feet to a far away land where someone (a fairy princess-maid-housecleaner-mommy-of-sorts) tends to my children for 3 full days while I create, draw, color, catch up, organize and sort out my world. Well, so far, no "bibbity-bobbity-boo" is happening here. And how come? Because I am a mom. A blessed, happy, crazy-in-love-with-my-children MOM. And there is something marvelous about this role I play: I have to make choices. Making choices is empowering. Yet, I will admit there are moments when I am envious of the artists I admire who seem to have their entire day dedicated to their art and work. In my case, I am left to choose how I am most happy...and for me, it includes raising my children FIRST and then growing my business SECOND. Translation: Not everything gets done in a day.
Now don't get me wrong: I love being a mother. It is the most sacred role, and every day I am tickled by the little miracles that take place in my home. The kisses, the hugs, and "I'm sorry's" and all the playing and tickling...I don't want to be anywhere else. This is what I love most in my life. But, I am also a creative personality with a strong commitment to bringing my unique style to others, and so I am required to find balance. And I truly consider an opportunity for growth.
"How do you do it all?" I get asked all the time. It is really humerous to hear people ask me this, because I was always the one asking other people (still am actually). But this is what I tell people: I DON'T do it all. I don't think that any one can! Either you are a full time mom with a business on the side, or you are a full time business owner, with children by your side. I choose the full time mom role, and to be honest, it is where I am the happiest. BUT IT IS HARD: sometimes it feels like my full time mothering is being jabbed by my nearly full time career. Both take up every spare second, and I am constantly forced to reorganize, reprioritize, and reevaluate. Not every month, not every week...but about ever half hour. "I can either take the kids to the park, or let them play quietly while I answer emails" "I can stay up late and finish my work, or I can just wake up early, and hope the kids sleep past 6 am" etc. There are always choices to be made...Life balance isn't something you arrive at, it is something you are constantly rocking back and forth between. And I am grateful for it...it keeps me in check. It assures that I am doing what makes my world happy. More on this later...but I just want to say that this has been a HUGE topic rolling around in my head. Balance is everything.
Which leads me to make some choices: This week, I will introduce you to some helping hands I am hiring to get me through the holidays. I will also be getting rid of some products in my shop, and increasing my shipping time by a couple days. All this with the intentions of letting me be more 'present' in my home, bringing more creativity to Sarah Jane Studios as well as simplify my world a bit so I can step back and keep making choices. I have found when life is over flowing with too many good things, we are left with too little time and energy to make choices. Good choices. The kinds of choices that make you swim forward rather then treading water. I may be cutting back on a few other things, but for now, shipping times will be set back a couple days, and blogging might get spread out a bit more. But I can assure you I will be posting my progress in my effort for more life balance...a wonderful journey for anyone seeking true wholeness and wellness. (I am feeling the urge to do some yoga at the moment...)
So, today, thanks for listening. Thanks for understanding. Thanks for all your support. I would love to hear what you have learned in this journey as well, and encourage you to comment, think about it, and chime in when you find something that has worked for you. This will be an on going topic for me, so stay tuned.
In the mean time, I leave you with this quote:
I become a positive influence by standing in opposition to what matters least by choosing to live for what matters most.
~Lee Wise
xoxo,
sarah jane