Is your life full… or just busy?
Is your life full… or just busy?
About two years ago I hit a major wall in my life. I had come out of a season in my life that was very full… but it was more than full, it was busy.
When people asked me, “how are you”? I knew that the best answer wasn’t “busy”, but that was the honest answer.
Some people hold “busyness” up as a badge of honor, as if it means you are important.
I had been there. But I was way past that.
I had entered into full blown fatigue.
I was groggy, tired, having a hard time focusing, losing motivation, literally tossing and turning in my sleep etc.
I had no other choice but to begin to “prune” things back in my life… and then prune more… and more.
In John 15, Jesus uses this metaphor of cutting even good things back so that we can have fruitful lives.
I quit groups I was a part of, stepped out of leadership positions. I even walked away from a part time job I really loved.
I hated having to say no. I hated having to go to people and tell them I wasn’t able to participate any more.
Most of all, I hated that I couldn’t do everything I wanted to do.
It just wasn’t realistic, it was actually selfish and it was sucking the life out of me.
Two years ago, I had to completely reorient my life around my priorities instead of the tyranny of the urgent.
My friends Michael and Miriam made a distinction that made all the difference:
You can have a FULL life, without it being so BUSY that you are fatigued.
Over the next few months, I took small steps towards adding things back into my life and soon, it was what I now know as “full”. Not busy, but full.
What is the distinction between a FULL versus a BUSY life? Let me tell you what the difference looks like in my life:
A full life is making intentional choices with how you use time that leads to feeling purpose and direction each day.
A busy life is controlled by the tyranny of the urgent and feels scattered and disorienting.
A full life is motivated by the positive “eustress” a term that psychologists use for the good sense of pressure we feel when we are doing something important.
A busy life is characterized by chronic stress or “distress”. Feeling overwhelmed even when you are taking some time to rest. Your heart rate seems to always be just a bit higher and you are on edge more often than not.
A full life might have a calendar that is packed. However, there is time blocked out for resting hard, working hard as well as playing hard.
A busy life has a crammed calendar before time is set aside for priorities and people.
A full life means that tasks are done in their proper time so that people don’t turn into a task to be checked off a list. You are able to be present with people not only physically, but fully present emotionally.
A busy life places productivity and tasks over people because the stress nags you away from being present.
A full life gives you the opportunity to intentionally notice and follow God in your day, recognizing that we are invited into what God is doing around us.
A busy life is peppered with prayers asking God to join YOU in your endless tasks and often a few prayers asking if God even sees you at all.
Going from a busy life to a full life takes intentionality.
- Are you willing to put all your commitments, projects and roles down on paper and audit if you really need to do it all?
- Would you give God authority over your schedule?
- Will you look forward in your schedule and block out time for what is really important and what brings wholeness?
- Will you lean in to the root cause of your busyness? Pride, fear, self-sufficiency, self-importance or lack of surrender to God?
I’ve been in the place where I would say NO to these questions. But beginning to say YES made all the difference.
What is holding you back from living a full life?
Is your life full… or just busy?
About two years ago I hit a major wall in my life. I had come out of a season in my life that was very full… but it was more than full, it was busy.
When people asked me, “how are you”? I knew that the best answer wasn’t “busy”, but that was the honest answer.
Some people hold “busyness” up as a badge of honor, as if it means you are important.
I had been there. But I was way past that.
I had entered into full blown fatigue.
I was groggy, tired, having a hard time focusing, losing motivation, literally tossing and turning in my sleep etc.
I had no other choice but to begin to “prune” things back in my life… and then prune more… and more.
In John 15, Jesus uses this metaphor of cutting even good things back so that we can have fruitful lives.
I quit groups I was a part of, stepped out of leadership positions. I even walked away from a part time job I really loved.
I hated having to say no. I hated having to go to people and tell them I wasn’t able to participate any more.
Most of all, I hated that I couldn’t do everything I wanted to do.
It just wasn’t realistic, it was actually selfish and it was sucking the life out of me.
Two years ago, I had to completely reorient my life around my priorities instead of the tyranny of the urgent.
My friends Michael and Miriam made a distinction that made all the difference:
You can have a FULL life, without it being so BUSY that you are fatigued.
Over the next few months, I took small steps towards adding things back into my life and soon, it was what I now know as “full”. Not busy, but full.
What is the distinction between a FULL versus a BUSY life? Let me tell you what the difference looks like in my life:
A full life is making intentional choices with how you use time that leads to feeling purpose and direction each day.
A busy life is controlled by the tyranny of the urgent and feels scattered and disorienting.
A full life is motivated by the positive “eustress” a term that psychologists use for the good sense of pressure we feel when we are doing something important.
A busy life is characterized by chronic stress or “distress”. Feeling overwhelmed even when you are taking some time to rest. Your heart rate seems to always be just a bit higher and you are on edge more often than not.
A full life might have a calendar that is packed. However, there is time blocked out for resting hard, working hard as well as playing hard.
A busy life has a crammed calendar before time is set aside for priorities and people.
A full life means that tasks are done in their proper time so that people don’t turn into a task to be checked off a list. You are able to be present with people not only physically, but fully present emotionally.
A busy life places productivity and tasks over people because the stress nags you away from being present.
A full life gives you the opportunity to intentionally notice and follow God in your day, recognizing that we are invited into what God is doing around us.
A busy life is peppered with prayers asking God to join YOU in your endless tasks and often a few prayers asking if God even sees you at all.
Going from a busy life to a full life takes intentionality.
- Are you willing to put all your commitments, projects and roles down on paper and audit if you really need to do it all?
- Would you give God authority over your schedule?
- Will you look forward in your schedule and block out time for what is really important and what brings wholeness?
- Will you lean in to the root cause of your busyness? Pride, fear, self-sufficiency, self-importance or lack of surrender to God?
I’ve been in the place where I would say NO to these questions. But beginning to say YES made all the difference.
What is holding you back from living a full life?