I had an epiphany today.

A few years ago when I dubbed me the Queen of KAOS, I thought it was all about fitting more in – hence my prior tagline – getting more from your day.

Quite ironic to me today as I sit here relaxing in the sun typing this in, feeling a total body calm that reminds me of how a cat must feel when it’s purring with complete contentment as it gets it’s belly rubbed. (if it’s a belly rub type cat that is)

More concerned with what I can take out, than with what I can fit in.

At one time, for a very long time, I never sat down without making a mental note of all of the other things that I could be… should be… doing.

Today, I’m happy to just be sitting here. Breathing. Typing. Thinking. Being. Prrrrr.

YOU ARE HERE – X- IT’S THE ONLY PLACE YOU NEED TO BE

I started to see that in all of the reaching out, I was missing out on exactly what I had been aiming for – me. And I’ve been here all along. So have you.

You really don’t have to look far. You just need to find yourself in the pile! The first step is to stop running right by it.

Over time, I realized that no amount of boxing in, focus or organization is going to help if there is just too much to do, to many places to go or too many things on our mind.

And I also started to realize that more isn’t better.

Not even close.

HAVING KIDS CAN GET THE BALL ROLLING

For me it all really started as I became a mom.

When we have small kids, this snowball grows by itself and kind of pulls us along with it.

We find it getting bigger and bigger, and faster and faster, seemingly without our participation.

It just does.

Until one day we realize that we have to put the brakes on that thing!

And that we can. Slowly but surely with the force and strength of our own will and mind power.

By changing our way of thinking.

And believe it or not, someday they do get older.

It does get easier in many ways. In other ways it just takes another form.

Especially if you are already programmed to run from morning to night and even through it.

You might even search out things to keep you busy. Because that’s what you do, right?

Without that, what?

Peace. Self validation. Enjoying the small things.

That’s what.

MOVING BACKWARDS IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

I think my first clue that moving backwards was a step in the right direction was when I started making decluttering a big and routine part of my life.

I saw clear spaces. They gave me peace like nothing had.

I could find things. I didn’t spend as much time looking after things.

It carried over.

I decluttered things that weren’t things.

My schedule. My interests. My diet. My habits. My thoughts.

IT’S MORE THAN TIME MANAGEMENT – IT’S SELF MANAGEMENT

That sounds harder than it really is. I’ve heard the phrase before and thought, well that’s obvious, isn’t it?

But I didn’t take the words to heart. Internalize them. Dissect the true meaning.

Break it down into manageable pieces. I was looking at it from the wrong end.

Sometimes you need to do it to really get it.

And it’s important also to again take the backwards approach.

Self management really is what it says – self management.

Not self management so much in the way of using your self to ‘do things’, or influence events or the KAOS in your life. But to get right back to your core and manage the things that are YOUR SELF.

It is in the being, not in the doing.

What Makes you?

• Your eating habits.

• Your exercise habits.

• We could call it your health.

• The way you think – your emotional intelligence and control.

• The way you interact with your environment. Act. Or react? HUGE question. Be sure to ask yourself.

• Are your feet, solid on the ground. Or busy chasing everything that goes by?

• Are you in touch with yourself or are you a body going through the motions of living.

LOOKING IN, INSTEAD OF LOOKING OUT

And the only way to do that is to

get rid of everything blocking your view… in every area… your house, your mind, your diet, your activities, your relationships.

You can’t do it all at once, but you CAN start a piece at a time.

HOW ABOUT TODAY?

Take some time right now to really think about what is in excess in your life that is not serving you.

You may not be able to merely let it go or get rid of it. You may need to take care of it.

Change your plan. Get some help to do it in the right way.

START WITH SOMETHING SIMPLE

• Add some exercise. Take a walk every day if you are not already doing so.

• Feel nature. Get in touch with the everything around you. Walk and take a minute to breath.

• Look around. Think. Even 10 minutes a day can make miracles.

• Remove something from your diet and replace it with good food.

• Or just concentrate on adding good food, you’ll find that there just is not as much room as there was for the junk.

• Start drinking some water every day if you are not.

The list of things you can do to take a step towards yourself is almost unending.

And each step counts.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

Or not do?

Pop in here and let me know. I’d really like to hear about it.

If you’ve been reading, you know that I’ve been increasing my raw food and green smoothie intake. It’s changed so much for me by restoring health that I didn’t even know was lost. Or had no idea how simple it was to get back.

I’m going to be starting another Spring Into Spring Challenge very soon as well, it’s that time of year again! You can pop on anytime if you would like to take the first step to clearing a path and a clear space to think in :0)

Join the iShine Community to be notified when I get moving on it if you’d like to start together.

SUMMING IT UP

The gist of it is ironic. It’s hard to find anything under all the stuff – in any area of our lives.

The more we have, the less we enjoy it. At some point we exist – we don’t live.

We are shells of people – slaves to what we have to do, have to have, our wants – not our needs.

Start by stopping today.