Smelling roses is not something that happens by accident. It is easy to spot their beauty from a distance, but you generally have to put your nose right down there if you want to enjoy the fragrance. And it's usually worth the effort.
I was once in a meeting, and the woman next to me showed me that she had 98 unread text messages. My own home screen continually reminds me that I have over a thousand emails that I have not processed.
We are constantly being notified that something needs our attention: a social media notification, an urgent text; another email; or maybe someone is actually calling us. We are pulled in many directions, and often times, we feel we are spread too thin.
We have work to do that is sitting right in front of us; we have families at home that need our attention. There are errands to run, bills to pay, a gym membership that needs to be used ... and I hope somebody remembers to feed the dog!
But we will not be victims of a busy life. Our life does not happen to us; we build the life that we want.
But like smelling roses, this process does not happen accidentally. It is an intentional process that begins when we clarify our values. This leads to a sharper focus on our priorities.
My family once told me that I had been preoccupied with my phone. I don't ever want there to be ambiguity about what the roses are in my life, so I worked on exercising moderation with social media.
The next several weeks will be crazy busy! Don’t forget to smell the roses.
Cheers!
Danny
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