Just Say No

I don't know about you, but my life is pretty hectic...all the time. I'm always busy. I always have stuff going on. It's hard to get a spare moment to just catch my breath. The thing is...I bring most of this on myself. I am one of those people-pleasers. I can't ever say "no". I want to be involved in everything. I want to help everyone out. I almost feel like I am disappointing people by choosing to opt out of an activity, so I rarely do it. I don't take enough time for myself because I consistently say "yes" to everything and anything. I need to learn to take a step back and just say "no".

It's so hard to be selfish sometimes, with that people-pleaser instinct constantly lurking within me. I really don't like letting other people down, but I have come to the realization that I truly don't do enough for myself. I pile on the activities and it all becomes too much. Even good activities can become overwhelming if there are too many. I need to simplify my life and start taking the time for me. In our world today, I feel like we are all constantly running, always on the move. It's "normal" to have a full schedule and almost seems lazy to sit at home for the evening and just do nothing (at least for me). I feel like we have an added pressure to be busy and with the plethora of functions/clubs/Bible studies/church activities/get-togethers...it's easy to succumb to that pressure. It's easy to get bogged down with a busy schedule and suddenly realize you are running yourself ragged. It's easy to become drained from the race I feel like I am running.

I need renewal. I am burnt-out. I'm taking this as my summer challenge: to just say no. I have a lot of spring activities that are wrapping up soon and I believe the summer will be a perfect time period for me to just rest. I want to relax and give myself the chance to breathe. I want to cut out the clutter from my life that sometimes causes more stress than benefit. It's time for me to do something for me. It's a necessary selfishness that must take place. I need a new focus, on the things that truly matter. I don't know if any of this resonates with you, but if it does, I challenge you to do the same. Take a step back and learn to say "no" sometimes. If we really want to be the best people that we can be, this time of renewal and rest and even selfishness is necessary. I'm learning to start saying "no" to others and "yes" to myself.

TECHNOLOGY

Our world has become ever dependent on the technology around us. Only a few years ago, we had to find a payphone to stop at for an urgent call and now it seems like a travesty when our cell phones, our life lines, die. We depend on technology for almost everything. We are so spoiled by it that it seems nearly impossible to function without it. Our dependence on our phones, computers, iPod, iPad, navigation systems, social media, etc. is at an all-time high. But what happens when technology fails us or doesn't live up to our expectation of perfection? What if that thing that we put all of our time, energy and reliance into doesn't always come through for us?

This morning, I realized how much trust I really do put into technology and how it can sometimes fail me. Like most of you, I haven't used a real alarm clock in years. I just set an alarm on my phone and without fail (most of the time), it wakes me up at the appropriate time. Being a child of the 21st century, using a traditional alarm clock seems "old school" or even out-of-date to me. Well somehow during the night, my phone must have turned itself off and instead of my alarm going off at 5:40am like always, it was silent. I slept in and had no idea what was going on until I woke up to the sun rising. My first thought was, I never get up when it's light out! It's always dark outside and early. Once I saw the light outside, I knew I had overslept. I dashed out the door like a madwomen and it took the majority of the ride for me to calm down. I felt silly for relying on my cell phone to get me up and to work on time. Technology had in fact failed me.

I have grown up during the age where technology is constantly growing and changing at a rapid rate. I have already seen so much progress in my lifetime and it's easy to get sucked in to the hype. Between my husband and I, I would say that we own the majority of the devices out there and I would consider both of us quite tech savvy. We know how to work them and we depend on them in our everyday lives. We like how easy and quick they make everyday activities. Technology has made us impatient and lazy, always wanting to look for the short cut. It has taken away our ability to appreciate the simple things in life. And I must say that my incident this morning has made me long a little more for a life filled with less complicated technology and more beautiful simplicity.

Our society tells us that we need the newest thing to enrich our lives. These machines won't ever let us down, but will open us up to a whole new world. Well I would argue that the most enjoyable times in my life are when I leave my phone at home and soak up the people and places around me. There is more to this life than relying on computers to run it for you or to provide you with mindless entertainment. We put so much of ourselves into little pieces of plastic that can easily fail us instead of investing in the people around us. We miss the things going on in our lives because we are not present. We are constantly distracted. There is so much beauty and fulfillment in the simplicity of flipping the pages of a good book (instead of a Kindle), spending time in nature (instead of on the computer), writing a letter (instead of email), misreading a map and taking an adventure (instead of a GPS), having to sound words out and look them up (instead of spell check), and being completely present for moments with your family and friends (instead of constantly distracted).

I challenge you (and myself) to stray away from technology for a while. Don't rely on it and don't let it suck you in. There are so many amazing things happening right in front of your face that you are missing because you are so tuned in to your technology. Take the hard way sometimes instead of the cheap short cuts that technology provides us. I assure it will enrich your lives more than technology ever could.