I’m still listening to the book, “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***.” Even though I was completely turned off within the first chapter, I was able to realize that behind the attempt at being controversial and contrary, the author wasn’t really saying not to, he was saying, be selective about what you care about and what you care about is really your values and to choose your values. Now, I’m more than halfway through the book and I start to think about what are the things that I value that drive my behavior and are they working for me.
I realized that I probably value busy. Busy makes us feel productive, busy makes us feel useful, buy makes you feel like you have a purpose. Maybe busy even makes us feel important. All I know is when people say how are things, the first word that comes to my mind is often “busy.” I have a good, typical response, “life is good.” This focuses on gratitude and connects me to those feelings of abundance. Yet, that flash of the word “busy” comes to mind. I’m wondering if this is something I’m valuing that might be working against me. Maybe I need to start valuing downtime or space in my calendar for flexibility to be responsive rather than just busy.
Is there a value in your life that is not working for you? What could replace it?