MAKING TIME

It's been a while since I've written. I could give you the long story, but the bottom line? I didn't make the time for it. A lot has happened in my personal life over the past year; health issues (several extended hospital stays, not to worry I'm on the mend), family struggles (illness, communication issues, etc.) and major moves (from LA to West Phoenix, now back in our beloved Arcadia). Now that I have safely made it to the other side, of all this craziness one thing has become clear...I need to stop blaming external influences for neglecting my responsibilities. Sure, I have really had a lot going on and it would have thrown most people off course, but I have a propensity in times of trouble to completely abandon all responsibilities. This of course has also been made possible by my incredible partner, Erik and professional team of miracle workers (you know who you are and I love you) who keep my company and life running.

So how will I make this major change and take on my seemingly endless desire in times of stress/trouble/drama to abandon responsibility? Excellent question. I will ask myself these three simple questions before walking away from my responsibilities:

#1 - Is this a life or death situation? In other words, will the result of me not addressing this issue right now lead to a permanent change that later efforts will not impact.

#2 - Have I thought this through, or am I simply reacting? Many times my impulsive nature kicks in when something stressful occurs. As cliche as it sounds I need to slow myself down so that I am not mindlessly reacting -- this is most relevant to family struggles.

#3 - Am I enabling others to continue taking advantage of me by engaging in this situation? When we continuously end up in the same type of situation over and over again, many of us take the position of the victim; been there, done that, hate it. However, this question is meant to provoke me to think about whether or not my behavior is contributing to a situation, and if so I need to stop immediately, thus breaking the cycle.

In closing, I want to thank all of you for your support with my blog and I am making a commitment to have my blog redesigned by the New Year and to check in with you more than once a month. Check back in tomorrow for a rundown of our recent weekend trip to Venice...

xx

S