Monday Motivation

By Sierra Kovash

Sit Down, Shut Up, and Smell the Flowers

Okay, you get it, I like flowers, like… a lot. Tis’ the season for them. Now let’s grab the parmesan and activate the spaghetti brain.
Well, as previously stated, I have had a rough couple of weeks. I am not going to go into that, because what’s in the past is in the past and contrary to popular spaghetti brain belief, I can’t go back. If I were to get another tattoo it would say LEAVE IT ALONE, YOU CAN’T CHANGE ANYTHING. I have the perfect place for it too! I would get it written on the top sides of my hands. Maybe it would sink in then. Who knows?
Why bring up the cruddy past again? Well, we grow from our hardships and we prosper when we lean into the lessons from our mistakes.
What have I learned? First, sit down. I have run myself ragged over the last couple of weeks. I have been a mom, caregiver, wife, employee, friend, volunteer, consultant, misc., etc. – you name it. What did my friends, family, strangers, neighbor, bathroom mirror tell me to do? SIT DOWN, stop, slow down, breathe, anything.
You can’t run on E and expect those around you to continue to fuel you and then get mad at them when they don’t. Your job is to be 100% to you and fulfill your obligations. You can’t be 100% to everyone else and then 0% to yourself. You need you too, just as much as your family, friends, and coworkers need you.
Second, shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up, this one was a HARD pill to swallow. I was born with a mouth on me the size of Texas and I don’t have a secret in this world. I also live in a fairytale land where everyone is my friend and no one would possibly ever say or do anything to hurt me or sabotage me. Well, lo and behold, that just isn’t the case. Who would have thunk it?
If there is anything on this list that I struggle with the most it will be No. 2. Not everyone is your friend and not everyone has your back. No matter how much you want that to be true, and no matter how bad that hurts to hear.
Third, smell the flowers. Take a day, take two, Americans take less vacation days than any other developed country, according to CNBC. We as a country need to CHILL OUT. I finally listened to those around me and took a few days off. Heck, I might even take a few more. Saturday night I slept 12 hours, got up and ate, then laid back down and took a nap! Then after my nap I went on a wildflower hunt with my kiddo.
Was it frivolous? Yes. Was it needed? Yes. Do you need to do it too? Based on statistics, yes.
I have a secret and it is a huge one: The world can wait. It may not seem like it now, but it can. The accounts can wait, your coworkers will live (might not be happy, but they will live), they can find a substitute (they will say they can’t, but they will), and your customers will understand. Life is hard, but life is even harder without you in it. Think about it, take a moment and sit down, take a breather, give it a day or maybe even more. The world will keep spinning, but you will not if you don’t take care of yourself.
Hang in there like a hair in a biscuit.- Kent Springer

9204 Comments

  1. Brandy says:

    I’m glad you got a little rest my friend