4 Steps to Move Beyond Hanging On For Dear Life

I often wonder if people are just as entertained by me as my sons and I were entertained by these mice.  One of those little guys was hanging on for dear life as the wheel just kept spinning and spinning.

I’m not much different than that little guy.  The wheel of life keeps spinning round and round–and sometimes it does it at break-neck speed.  Oftentimes I feel so overwhelmed and dizzy from the todos on my list, the projects I’ve taken on, the expectations that others have of me, the endless events on my calendar, the emails/phone calls I have to return and the responsibilities I have.  It just seems like I’m spinning out of control on the wheel of life with no end in sight.

There are a few actions that have been helping me slow the wheel down and gain some perspective.  When I am disciplined enough to take these actions, life is much more manageable.

1. Get a full night’s sleep :: Sleep is usually one of the first things to go when life is busy yet it is one of the most important things we do.  I used to view a full night’s sleep as something that weak people needed.  I am slowly realizing and embracing the healing, rejuvenating and refreshing discipline of getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
2. Have realistic expectations :: I am a perfectionist and I want to do everything and I want to do it all at 100%.  Because of this, I have struggled with an unrealistic todo list every day.  I am learning to calendar 2-3 tasks that contribute to my overall goals each day and focus on doing those tasks before I do anything else.  This provides me with focus and a reason to celebrate at the end of each day.
3. Exercise :: We all know that exercise is good for us but finding the time is often the difficult part.  I recently bought an inexpensive and portable exercise bike that I now ride while I’m watching TV.  I don’t feel as guilty for watching TV and I get exercise at the same time.  Not only that, but it often limits the amount of TV I do watch.
4. Rest in God’s grace :: This is the hardest action for me to do but I continue to learn how vital it is to my life.  It is so good for me to remember that God loves me in spite of myself and not because of anything I have done or anything I will do.  This action step is simply stepping off the wheel of life and resting in God’s grace despite expectations, successes, failures and todos.  God ran the world before I was born and He will continue running it when I am gone.  He doesn’t need me.  This is just further evidence of His grace!