The Blog

Season of Flux

12/26/2013 By Nancy Borg With 2 comments

826339201_optThe holiday hustle bustle is finally over.  Ahhh, we can breathe again and just bask in the holiday glow. We’re enjoying the gifts of the holiday while we are hopefully decompressing from all the stress.

But with the New Year just around the corner, we still can feel an underlying energy.  We anticipate a change and can sense ourselves propelling forward to somewhere.  And so we find ourselves in a state of flux.

The juncture between Christmas and New Years is always an interesting transition.  One festive celebration seems to spill into the next.  It’s often hard to catch our breath.  But if we stop and consider this “space” of time as an opportunity to initiate the cogs to turn, we can begin to percolate some new goals.  In this way,  we won’t ring in the New Year without a plan.

But how many of us are really going to make this happen?

Undoubtedly,  this is an opportune time to take a respite and relax. Schools’ are on vacation break and daily routines are interrupted.  So it’s understandable why so many of us don’t want to address next year’s goals just right now.  It’s easier to rest on our laurels, right? I get it.

In fact, I find myself vacillating between enjoying my “staycation” break, and biting the bullet to set my 2014 action plans, both professionally and personally.  Without question, I believe that clarifying my goals will make me accountable.  But I’m also an advocate of thinking before planning, and planning before doing.  Perhaps even guilty of over-thinking.

For me, this state of flux is a perfect time to sort it all out and evaluate introspectively.  Can I identify my wants and needs and integrate the two?  Am I happy with the status quo?  In what ways can I improve?  Asking the right questions is an effective part of my process.

No need to fix what’s not broken, or re-invent the wheel.  We don’t need to be a new person in the New Year, just a better one. We all can improve something. Ushering in a New Year can organically instigate change in all of us.  Some good food for thought, for sure.  And trust me, I’m thinking.  After all, I’m still in a state of flux.

Before YOU welcome in the New Year, I wonder whether or not you’re thinking about making any changes.  Have you asked yourself any questions?  Are you in flux too?  Come join the party and Happy New Year!

Read this post on single page to comment →

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

12/10/2013 By Nancy Borg With 5 comments

IMG_2012_optThe falling snow changed my plans today. My schedule went out the window with the very first snowflake. So it looks like I’m in for the day. But as I sit in front of the fireplace, I’m realizing that mother nature has just bestowed me the “gift of time.” How great is that?  I’m in pajamas, watching the snow gently fall, and although not leaving the house, there is an endless list of productive things I can do.  Where to begin?

Time is a luxury for sure, and how we use it, only clarifies our priorities.  For me, my passion is writing and so my first inclination is to craft this blog.  I’ll catch up on reading, e-mails, tele classes, and maybe if I’m lucky, I can even take a nap (but probably not, lol)

Weather is impactful.  When it interrupts our day, we are forced to stop, or at least pause.  For all of us who incurred the snow today, there was one thing we all had in common.  We were forced to slow down.

In the peak of a work week and holiday bustle, this is not an easy task. But apart from being a nuisance, perhaps this shift in focus was a good thing.  It might have caused you to slow down your busy pace.  Maybe you needed to.

In some form or another, we all paid attention to time.   If you anticipated the inclement weather, you were more apt to adjust your schedule accordingly with an earlier exit strategy this morning.  Leaving yourself adequate wiggle room was an option to consider, or time spent cancelling and re-scheduling appointments.

We always plan with good intentions but so many times, things happen out of our control to disrupt them.  We adjust and move on, and sometimes take away a lesson learned.  My favorite expression, “Man plans and G-d laughs,”  is so apropos.  It always wakes me up.

So today, I’m enjoying this unexpected gift of time.  Every very now and then, it’s nice to indulge in “self” time. How about you? What kind of adjustments did you make today?  Did you stop, pause, or slow down?

Read this post on single page to comment →

Pacing Your Holiday Busy; Up Close and Personal

12/05/2013 By Nancy Borg With no comments yet

1435817704_optBelieve it or not, some of us already have the holiday table set, gifts already purchased as well as wrapped, and menus planned. But… then there’s everyone else. There are those who slowly and steadily accumulate gifts and check off diligently, and yet there are those who haven’t even begun to think about jumping into the frenzy. So where are YOU on the continuum?  One thing I know, for sure…it’s personal.  Very.

Having already celebrated Chanukah, I’m no longer channeled into the shopping cue, so I’m observing with a more objective eye.  I’m now more cognizant of the frenetic energy in each store I enter, and sense the heightened anxiety on everyone’s faces.

It’s so very easy to get caught up in the tumult around us. The stores are filled with the contagion of holiday busy and TV commercials are selling holiday joy every 10 minutes. Inevitably, we are lured into the madness. These influencers can interrupt our focus.

The challenge is in finding the balance.  Here’s how;  Don’t get caught up in other’s exuberance, find your own rhythm.  Above all, make your own choices. It’s your holiday,  your personal kind of joy. Don’t beat yourself up for not keeping up with the “idealized” version of the holidays.  Not everyone is shopping for cars, and diamonds, and expensive technology. Not everyone has the time or money to shop endlessly.

Keeping pace that’s within your comfort zone will be far more fulfilling than trying to measure up to somebody else’s.

Pacing your holiday busy means beating to your own drum.  It really has less to do with being more organized than the next guy, it’s more about knowing your natural life rhythm,  identifying your objectives, and the ability to manage time.  Certainly, effective time-management strategies play a huge role in customizing your pace. Taking on too much in a concentrated period of time is fruitless.  Evaluate your “busy” and be sure it’s filled with activities you enjoy. Holiday shopping, party invites, and celebratory dinners can overwhelm your schedule. Choose wisely.

Quite often, we burn out and stress out before the holiday even arrives. Instead, take a time out.  Find your personal pace and seize the opportunity to experience the great joy of celebrating your way.

Somehow, it all gets done.  It always does.  Even if your proclivity is to be the “last-minute” shopper, and you’re more inclined to wait it out, you could be just as productive as the early bird “doorbuster” shopper. Choose the kind of holiday busy that works best with your comfort level.

The holidays are indeed a beautiful time to celebrate life, family and friends.  The key is to let it be joyful, not stressful.  Listen to your inner voice and sync your personal pace with the holiday commotion. Perhaps you need to slow it down, or do less.  Pay attention.  Truly, that’s how to create a “happy” holiday.

Are you all “wrapped up” in holiday busy? How are you pacing yourself? If you’ve got a minute, come join in the conversation 🙂

Read this post on single page to comment →

Pages