Setting Boundaries
Yesterday my talented husband built a fence around the exposed side of my vegetable garden. For months, I have been letting the chickens roam, scratch, and dig holes in the garden, but it is time Fall vegetable planting; it is time to set boundaries. If allowed, the chickens would continue to frequent the garden but in a not-so-beneficial way. They would eat the veggies. Don’t worry, they have a perfectly good yard for which to roam and scavenge and they love the organic feed they get. But the truth is you give them a grass patch, they take the WHOLE yard. I am also setting some boundaries. As I embark on a new career, a new schedule within my life, the feelings of guilt tend to set in when I am not “working.” This is a trap I have fallen into on past short-lived endeavours. I often wondered why I would go at something 110% and burn out. I have drawn the conclusion that my incurable drive was, in fact, the reason for the burnout. My only chance at sustainable success is to set boundaries for myself allowing my head and heart to focus on one thing with 100% attention. I am learning that to be present in the moment, it is essential I set aside my to-do list and focus on that one thing that I am doing. It is only fair for that one thing, be it petting my dog, talking with my husband or working get the focus of my attention in the time I allot it; it also happens to make that one thing much more enjoyable. Unlearning multitasking and setting boundries seems to go against the nature of most but maybe it is time we all try it and give the tasks at hand the attention they deserve.
Yesterday my talented husband built a fence around the exposed side of my vegetable garden. For months, I have been letting the chickens roam, scratch, and dig holes in the garden, but it is time Fall vegetable planting; it is time to set boundaries. If allowed, the chickens would continue to frequent the garden but in a not-so-beneficial way. They would eat the veggies. Don’t worry, they have a perfectly good yard for which to roam and scavenge and they love the organic feed they get. But the truth is you give them a grass patch, they take the WHOLE yard. I am also setting some boundaries. As I embark on a new career, a new schedule within my life, the feelings of guilt tend to set in when I am not “working.” This is a trap I have fallen into on past short-lived endeavours. I often wondered why I would go at something 110% and burn out. I have drawn the conclusion that my incurable drive was, in fact, the reason for the burnout. My only chance at sustainable success is to set boundaries for myself allowing my head and heart to focus on one thing with 100% attention. I am learning that to be present in the moment, it is essential I set aside my to-do list and focus on that one thing that I am doing. It is only fair for that one thing, be it petting my dog, talking with my husband or working get the focus of my attention in the time I allot it; it also happens to make that one thing much more enjoyable. Unlearning multitasking and setting boundries seems to go against the nature of most but maybe it is time we all try it and give the tasks at hand the attention they deserve.
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