How to choose what's important.

I had a problem. 

I had a hundred things to do and a short period of time to accomplish it all. 

So I started running. 

Run here. Run there. Run all around. 

I planned errands around errands. If I was heading out on a busy street, why would I only do one thing when five things would be much more time efficient?

I double booked and double scheduled. Technology made it easy to be in two places at once. 

A call squeezed in between meetings meant I could do even more. 

Staying an hour later meant I could get that much more done. 

An extra hour before bed meant I could finish another project. 

And by bringing a notebook with me to the park, I could easily sneak in a few tasks while watching my daughter play. 

No worries. I CAN do it all. 

Then the crash came. IT WAS BIG. 

Maybe I CAN’T do it all. 

I forgot this. 

There was a huge error in that. 

A few things are missing. 

Was this really my best attempt? 

Couldn’t you have done more?

Did you truly give this all of your attention?

Is this the best you have to give? 

Will you make a difference by doing things this way?

Or is it a superficial attempt to do it all?

Doing it all doesn’t mean giving your all.

Because if you really try to give everything your all, ultimately it all fails. 

Because when you try and make all those around you happy, you forget to make happy the one that needs it most … you. 

It’s a fallacy they feed you: You can do it all. You can be everywhere. You can say yes all the time. You can please everyone. 

But in the process you lose the one that needs it most. You. 

Once you learn the real truth, you do things differently. Say no. Choose carefully. Choose what matters. Choose the best. 

So ultimately you can be your best.

Like what you’re reading here? The author also wrote What To Do When You Run Out Of Options. Read more from author Lori Osterberg onVisionOfSuccess.com where she writes on reinvention, finding your passion, putting it all together, and doing anything but play by the rules.