Doing less, trusting more ✨
In our culture, we often identify our worth with our busyness, and wear busyness as a badge of honor. But all this running around can leave us exhausted and disconnected. It’s empowering to realize how much of a choice you have in what and how much you do, and that you have more of a say than you think. With this shift, you can start to prioritize and live according to your values. What a breath of fresh air and way less burden to carry.
There’s something about the culture we live in that feeds the idea that “I’m not doing enough,” and “I’m not enough.”
Maybe you can relate - Maybe you keep yourself so busy, and feel this pull and drive to do more and BE more. Or you believe, “I can never get it all done.” Maybe to the point that, if there’s ever a moment of downtime, it’s uncomfortable.
Maybe you find yourself starting things but not finishing them, and always taking more projects onto your plate... It’s easier in our culture to feel good about ourselves when we’re busy and when we’re doing a lot, yet harder to affirm ourselves and our worth when we slow down.
We can wear this “busyness” like a badge of honor.
I’ve noticed at times in the past that when I let myself slow down, and do less, judgements immediately wanted to come up...
But that constant busyness can keep us disconnected from what’s going on deeper within ourselves.
For example, emotions that might need to be felt, or whispers from our inner wisdom. In fact, it can keep us distracted from what’s actually most important to us, and our purpose.
I was talking to a woman recently who said that, now that she has to stop all together because she’s recovering from a surgery, she’s finally feeling some sadness from an event that happened over four months ago.
It took having surgery to slow down. If that doesn’t illustrate our culture, I’m not sure what does.
What we’re also saying unconsciously when we keep ourselves busy (out of fear of slowing down) is that, “If I slow down, something bad will happen.” -or- “I’m not going to be ok.” -or- “I won’t have what I need,”... Or even, “My productivity determines my worth.”
But can you be absolutely sure, without a shadow of a doubt, that any of that is true?
Once you recognize the judgements or stories that are underneath the drive to always-be-doing, it’s easier to work with these limiting (not true) ideas. And also to work with the fear that if we do less, it will somehow not be ok.
This is about trusting that we ARE divinely supported and taken care of, and knowing that everything we need is being provided, even when we do less.
It’s about knowing our productivity does not (in any way, shape, or form) determine our worth or enoughness.
It’s also about recognizing that the truth is, you can make a choice to slow down, and do less. You have a say in this.
Of course there are things that have to get done. But there are also things that don’t, or don’t right now, or don’t have to get done by us, and we’re telling ourselves they do.
Some things we choose to spend our precious time, attention, and energy on, even if it’s not really serving us well, often just out of habit. So these are places where we can make changes.
And bonus, if there’s ever a time to slow down, the Fall is that time. If you tune in, you can feel that things are beginning to slow down around us. The energy is shifting, and in many places, the leaves are starting to fall. It’s like an editing process - out with the old, to make space for what needs to grow next. It’s the start of less daylight (less “doing” time, more down time). Even Mother Nature is on board!
Sometimes it really comes down to a decision, and trusting.
You can decide to do less, TRUST, and focus on what’s really of value and important to you. For example, right now I can count on one hand the projects I'm working. I decided I want to do them to completion before adding in more - to go deeper rather than spread myself thin.
When you decide to do less, it forces you to think about what really matters to you and what’s actually important.
I’ve created less of the things in my life that don’t matter and that take up my time, so that I have space and time for more of the things that do. And this allows me to practice faith and trust that all is being provided.
It’s the doing less, trusting more, that I’ve been talking about.
Another thing that’s helping is single-tasking as much as possible, rather than multitasking. It's a breath of fresh air.
So for example, when you’re talking on the phone just talking on the phone. When you’re driving, just driving. This doesn’t have to be an all-the-time thing, but sprinkling this throughout your day and week will shift your energy.
It feels really good to let myself spend a chunk of time on just one thing, and actually be present in it. I feel more focused and more peaceful too. And I have more time as a result, because when I chunk my time in these ways - focusing on one thing at a time, and letting myself go deeper with it - I don’t lose that time switching back and forth. Every time we switch from one thing to the next, it takes up about 25 minutes each time to get into the next thing we’re doing. It’s no surprise then that when I let myself go deeper with it, I do a better job and get more done overall. Seriously, try it out! Let yourself do one thing at a time, as an experiment, and notice if maybe you can breathe a little deeper. ❤️ And actually get more done overall.
So where in your life could you use a little slow down? Where could you bravely and courageously do less?
There’s a magic in doing less, and trusting more. The Universe is way more powerful than we are on our own, and when we ease up, we make more space for this support because we’re not trying to do it ALL ourselves.
Many of my clients have felt the relief that comes from taking some of the pressure off, and not having to do it all, all the time. And still having just as much, if not more, success. If you could use some support with that, you can find out about my coaching program here.
After all, you deserve feel that connection to yourself and the support that’s all around you, that comes more easily when we let ourselves slow down. ❤️
With love,
Angie
IF YOU LIKED THIS POST, YOU MAY ALSO LIKE these…
Doubting yourself vs. TRUSTING yourself ✨