We have all been there; that breaking point in the day when you throw your hands up and say “there just isn’t enough hours in the day!” Lately, as wedding season fast approaches, I seem to find myself saying that more and more. “If I could just have 3 more hours in a day, it would be perfect!” I have lost count of the number of times I have said this. Sound familiar? Of course, if we really had 3 more hours in a day, more than likely we would still be asking for a few more hours. It’s a viscous cycle.
Regardless of how much time I do or do not seem to have in a day, there is no doubt I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my life. I do. I love my job. Running my own event planning company is the most fabulous, fun, creatively challenging, and rewarding job I have ever had. I absolutely love being a Mom to my beautiful 6 year old daughter, who brings me more joy in one day than most could hope for in a life time. I love being a wife to my incredibly smart and talented husband, whose skills and knowledge never cease to amaze me. I am one very blessed girl. And I am thankful for such every day.
With a busy schedule full of all the wonderful things I have going on in my life, one would think I would see the importance of carving time out of each busy week to take time just for me. Time to decompress, recharge, relax- truly take time for myself. It is a must for my health, both physically and emotionally. But, in particular over the last two years, I have really fallen short in this aspact of my life. I give 110% to my job and my clients, even more to my child and husband, but when it comes to taking time for me- I have definitely been falling short. The scary part is, I know I am not alone in this. In fact, I see this happen to my clients on a regularly basis as well.
“The Wedding”. It becomes this all-being thing that consumes every breath and ounce of energy my clients (and their families) are able to put forth. And, it does so for at least 6 months to a year (maybe more) prior to their wedding day. Now imagine how much “THE WEDDINGS” begin to consume my energy. While I LOVE what I do, and my job continues to be extremely rewarding, it is a balancing act that is very hard to manage. And again, I ask you… sound familiar?
Energy. Time. Balance. I need these three words. We all do. But there are days that I surely feel I am lacking ENERGY. And, rarely anymore to I take the TIME I should to recharge myself and focus on my emotional and physical health. I have not been on a consistent exercise program in over 2 years! I do not take TIME to make it part of my daily routine. As far as my diet; well, let’s just say it is far from BALANCED. I see my clients, in particular the mothers of my clients, fall in to this same trap. It is hard. My Brides, and often their mothers as well, have full time careers and schedules on top of “The Wedding.” Time and time again I see the “year from now” turn in to the panicked voice of ”the wedding is only 6 weeks away!” And, it happens in the blink of an eye. Smart food choices, taking time to decompress, and scheduling time to exercise routinely is continuously put off. Before my clients know it, the once sought after physical goals are now too far out of reach. Realistically, they will never achieve anything close to the results they had hoped for initially.
So what to do? Well, of course my social work background tells me “admitting it” is the first step, right? ”I have let my life take control of me rather than me taking control of my life.” There, I admitted. Now what? Well, I am working on that. I have been doing some research, and I think I have a plan… but, I am not quite ready to lay it all out for ”all to see” just yet. I have been introduced to some local resources that are very unique and a form of healthy living I haven’t tried before. I am intrigued, and motivated in a way that is different from ever before.
Visit me back next week and I will fill you in a little bit more on what I have in store in order for ME to start taking time for ME! And, you might just find it is something that you want to start taking advantage of as well. It isn’t any magic pill or a hidden secret “get thin quick plan”. I will give you a hint- it starts with setting goals, making smart choices, using time wisely, and refueling your life!
Are you intrigued? Stay tuned…
For years I have carried a “Bridal Survival Kit” from wedding to wedding. It has been rare I have used the arsenal of “wedding emergency”survival items I carry with me. Maybe a small pair of sewing scissors here, a nail file there, but I have never had to truly “save the day” with any of the “disaster prevention magic” my staff carries in that little pink tote. Just the same, my staff and I continue to lug this survival kit to every event we complete, just in case. Should the tiniest moment of despair occur, we are prepared! 
