Vision

Listen here:

What is driving you this summer? For some, family needs. If you care for small children you are responsible for cooking, cleaning, entertainment and so much more. Many moms tell me that they are also investing in the Fall so kids are hitting the books to be sure academic performance is excellent. 

If you are a working woman, your work schedule may drive you this summer. If this is a busy season for you, it feels like survival. You do so much during work hours as well as after. You are 110% output right now. 

If you are a retiree, I hear you are busier than ever. Your purpose, translated into the things you do, drives your day.

Others may feel a bit lost. I've been there. It feels as if you are running a race and after a while, your legs get tired. Somehow, you keep going. The problem is when we find out we are going in the wrong direction. 

When circumstances drive your day

Days can be chaotic. We often wake up with a plan. Circumstances circumvent the plan. I recently heard of a mom of 7 who planned a birthday trip. She was looking forward to it. The night before the trip, a little one got sick. She missed her dream birthday vacation because she stayed home to care for her child. I haven't experienced this particular situation but I've had plenty of canceled travel plans lately. Three to be exact. I learned that when circumstances circumvent my plans I can always take a small step toward my vision. In my experience, small steps are the same things as actions. My action was to write down a few places I want to visit someday. Sure, I was disappointed by missing three trips back to back. The small step helped me get in the correct perspective. My vision (and a family goal for the year), is to travel. A step in the right direction is to keep hope alive by writing down a few places I want to visit. Another micro step was to select the dates for the trip. You see where I am going with that. What is a step you can take when circumstances circumvent your day?

When a loved one gets sick, I cancel everything I have to do for the day to be sure my family gets well. In this instance, the way I take a small step toward my vision is remembering my priority. Once the person is stable, I take time to revisit my vision. Most things can be done the following day. I often rest when I am caring for a loved one. I can't give what I don't have. While I don't fix a mat next to them, I might close my eyes for 15 minutes. I sit down and eat a nutrition-packed meal. I drink plenty of water. My vision is to be healthy and strong. Fitting 5 days of work in one does not drive me to my vision but away from it. Using wisdom to prioritize health is immensely helpful. 

I am learning to normalize circumstances coming and going as they please. Most days do not go according to plan. The other day, I was getting ready to leave work, and something big needed to get done. I took a deep breath and literally power-walked my way to it. I had a plan b and a plan c in mind. I ended up not needing them. Even on my best-planned days, circumstances may circumvent my intentions. I'm learning to see this as a normal part of life. If I see this as normal, I can easily move on to a solution. If I see this as an emergency or even a catastrophe, I may become paralyzed. 

When circumstances circumvent my plans I can always take a small step toward my vision. What will be your small step?