Busy is the new boring

It’s been a while since I posted to the blog, because quite frankly I have been busy, very busy, too busy in fact.

Now it’s been a busy year. How often do you hear that at this time of the year! I challenge anyone to conclude on reflection that the year for them has been anything other than busy. It would be refreshing in a way to hear someone say “you know, all things considered I have had a pretty quiet year”. But I doubt that is ever going to happen as 1. it’s probably not true and 2. if it was, no one is going to admit it for fear of being considered boring, so here we are stuck in the cycle of busyness. But funnily enough when you run into someone you haven’t seen for a while or spoken to regularly and ask them what they have been up to they will find it hard to tell you exactly, other than “oh I have been busy. Flat out actually, never a spare minute, sorry I haven’t been in touch it’s just I have been so busy”.

Busy is the new boring.

So for those those who have been following along this year, 2017 has been a year where I have had some major highs, major lows, periods of extreme busyness and periods where I felt every single minute like it was a lifetime. There was still only 24 hours in each day, yet some days felt shorter and some longer. If I were asked to describe the year I have had, I would default to busy. So I am going to challenge myself to a new mindset and see if I can describe it another way.

For me, 2017 has been transformational. When I signed my permanent contract early in the year I could never have predicted the year at work I was about to have. It came with more twists and turns than a Luna Park roller coaster, some days were long and stressful but each of them shifted me to another gear. Career wise, it’s the best year I can remember and I look forward to what next year brings. It was good busy.

Personally though it was also very sad. In fact, still sad as I sit here writing this as it was the year that my relationship of 23 years ended. We don’t have relationships in isolation of others, so the loss went well beyond just the two of us. Some connections through that relationship have changed and some now gone too. You could say I have been busy grieving. But that is usually an internal busyness and one we don’t articulate well when asked what you been up to.

Then I had the absolute luxury of 10 weeks globetrotting. I limped onto the plane in June and leapt off in August. Transformed in many ways but still keeping to the core. I am by no means a totally new person but one who has had the time to step back from the daily busyness and work out what is really important for me.

So what were some major lessons from 2017 for me? The one’s that come to mind are (in no particular order):

* Everyone is busy
* No one is too busy to miss out on what they really want to do
* Kindness must at all times prevail in a break up. No exceptions.
* Some family and friends will be there for you, and some won’t. That is ok. They are all busy.
* People are flawed
* Animals are not
* The years fly by so quickly, do what fills your heart
* The only constant is change

So friends I put the challenge out to you. What lessons has your busyness brought about this year?Read more