Adding Value

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Over the weekend hubby & I watched a couple of documentaries, & one of those was on the minimalist lifestyle. It offered great perspective & gave lots of food for thought, but one thing that really resonated with me was the idea that we bring all these ‘things’ into our life without questioning them, & whether they’re adding value to our lives or not.

What I loved about this idea, & this simplicity in questioning, is that it doesn’t just stop at material ‘things’, it can be applied to just about anything in our lives, from the food we eat, the relationships we keep, the thoughts we have, etc.

Over the past week, I’ve found myself questioning how I use my time on my phone on social media for example. I’m questioning, why I’m picking up my phone or pressing the home button to light up the screen?
What is it that I’m seeking from it?
What do I feel is lacking?
Is all my time on social media adding value to my life?
Where does the value lie?
I’m asking these questions, not because I see no value, as this is not the case, but rather to question the value vs the time spent so that I can be more purposeful with my time.

Today, these thoughts extended to my email accounts. I took a quick look through my emails & questioned what value they were adding to my life?
Do I need to receive multiple emails a week (sometimes a day) full of all these ‘things’ that I don’t need right now & wont be buying? When for me, I know that I will do my research when it comes time to buy something.
Are all these emails just adding to my list of things to do (cleaning out the inbox) & creating clutter in my online space?
Needless to say, I’ve now unsubscribed from over 20 mailing lists, & will continue this as different emails come through.

These are just a couple of examples where I’m choosing to question how things are adding value so that I am more in alignment with my purpose & where & how I want to be expending my energy.

What is something that you’ve never thought to question in your life?
Why you have it?
Why you use it?
Why you need it?
Why you give away your energy to it?

And what are some things that really add value to your life?

Perspective

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This week I’ve been a bit in my head about how present I’ve been with the kids in terms of playtime & outings / activities, versus how much I’ve been trying to get bits done around the house, doing some work on my business, reorganising finances, talking on the phone etc.

I was questioning myself & engaging in a bit of negative self talk, & then this morning I shared how I was feeling with my bestie & my hubby.
It was the best thing I could have done as they both gave me another perspective, & pulled me out of the guilt ridden space that I had created for myself.

This morning I’d forgotten all about the fact that the twins had been sick this week & I couldn’t take them out of the house, or that the kids were all exhausted so they needed some rest time at home, or the things I have played & books I’ve read (albeit not as much as I would normally like), or that I am allowed to have goals, & that it is great that the kids have time to entertain themselves & create their own fun.
Then as I spoke to my bestie & we spoke about what we remember about growing up, & she reminded me of all the things I tell her that we’ve done on the weekends as a family;
& then I spoke to hubby & he reminded me that I do play with the kids & do lots of different things with them & that I am still my own person with things I want to achieve (whether around the house or for the family or for my business); I was able to look at things more clearly & get out of the space I was in.

Now I’m sharing this today to remind us all to never underestimate the power of sharing.
We are never alone.
There is always someone who is going through the same things, or who is willing to listen, or who can give us the pep talk we need & remind us of what we are not hearing over all the fog in our heads.

There is always someone who can help in any situation.
We just have to be willing to open up & to share.

The next time you find yourself stuck in your head, try saying things out loud to your partner, your friends or your family. You might be surprised by how they can support you, & you’ll wish you’d spoken up sooner.

Sending love to all the parents out there & to those who support us xxx