Reclaim Your Life, One Hobby at a Time!

Today I dusted off my Rollerblades and off I went, skating through the neighborhood. I can’t remember the last time I skated; I think it was last year, or maybe the year before that. I spent my childhood on skates. My kids learnt to roller skate when they were two years old. Skating has been a constant throughout my life until…

What happened? Work and responsibility took over my life and somehow I found less and less time for myself. When my grandmother passed away this spring, I started taking inventory of my life. I came to the realization that I worked more than I lived. Worst of all, I don’t even know when the change happened; it just did.

I’ve never backed down from a challenge and the past few years have been challenging, to say the least. I found myself working longer and longer hours, trying to somehow catch up. I just recently came to the realization that catching up is not possible in the market of 2009. I’m learning to prioritize better, delegate more, automate more, and say no more often. I am very picky about the clients I take. I am more careful about the time spent on tasks. I enter my discretionary activities like yoga classes on my calendar as appointments. If I don’t schedule my free time, I forget to take it…

Last week I ran a 5K race, something I haven’t done in years. This summer I went white water rafting, boating and hiking, again, something I haven’t done in years. This year I’m reclaiming my life. I am finally admitting to myself that although I thought I was a well balanced individual, with no addictions of any kind, I may indeed have a problem with working too much. I’ve started the repair process this summer.

If you are reading this and nodding all the way through it, why don’t you join me and start changing? Reclaim your life, one hobby at a time! Prioritize, delegate, automate and limit your work load, while at the same time dusting off helmets, skates, footballs or baseball bats! Call up old friends and throw a get together! How about charades or a game of monopoly? How long has it been since you played a board game with your loved ones? Life is short; you blink and it’s gone. Enjoy your Life! Work will be here when you finish playing…

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Connection Join The Optimist Group!