Getting Back to Consistency
The last newsletter to my email list that I wrote was in August. The last blog post I made on this website was in June. And yet, I have an appointment on my calendar every other Thursday that says, “Write a newsletter” (or whatever you want to call this missive I send you all occasionally- an update? inspiration? tidbits of my life?) Why is it so hard to keep that appointment with myself? You know the answers… time, other priorities taking precedence, special events, or dismissing its importance or relevance in people’s lives. And yet, when I don’t honor that appointment on my calendar, for months at a time, there are costs that are far greater than merely not writing the dang thing.
When I don’t honor a commitment to myself, and I don’t reschedule the commitment, I’m sending myself a message that my priorities don’t matter. I’m telling myself that I’m not worth keeping a date with. Would I do that to someone else if it were a standing coffee date? Not without serious consideration and rescheduling soon thereafter. And when I tell myself that my priorities don’t matter, I’m essentially telling myself that I don’t matter. Something or someone else matters more. I’m also giving up on a dream I had- a dream to connect with my community through my written words. I’m deciding that for some reason that dream isn’t what I thought it would be, or perhaps it’s not actually worth it, or maybe I think it’s not making a difference to anyone. What felt like something really important to me at some point has been relegated to later… much later. You might argue that we get too busy to do all the things and that we have to triage. That is indeed true. But I haven’t been triaging. I’ve been mismanaging. I have room and time in my life to write the newsletter- I just haven’t. So then it’s time to get honest with myself. I can take responsibility for falling off for a bit, and then I can recommit to creating structures in my life that support me getting this done.
While this newsletter is just one example of one of the things I’m committed to in my life, I know we all feel the mad juggle of our lives- work, family, friends, health, spirituality, community, and on and on and on. One appropriate step is to let go of the commitments we no longer want to uphold. If those exist, an occasional audit and letting go is a great way to free up time. One option I see for me here is to commit to a newsletter once a month, not every two weeks. That maintains my commitment to staying connected, to sharing my thoughts via writing, and to being in communication with you all, while also taking the foot off the gas a little.
I will close with an important step in recommitting. I will forgive myself for having fallen off. It’s ok. I’m human. Life is a big ol’ ebb and flow of seasons and rhythms. Sometimes, something else will capture our attention, and we will lose site of what we were up to. That’s great. Enjoy the distraction, and when you’re ready, get back to work.
It’s good to be back. Shall we say the first week of the month? See you all in early December!
