Hello, friends. This is my first post in a couple of weeks. I’ve been pretty busy lately. I moved to Jacksonville and started a new job this week, and life is finally starting to settle down for me. Also I’m no longer living out of my car and sleeping on couches so that’s nice.
Still, I know all that is a crappy excuse. “Sorry I’m just now getting back to you. I’ve been really busy.” We’ve all seen that. We’ve all said it. It’s an American phrase. Somehow we think it works as a good enough excuse. Honestly, it’s usually a lie. Tell the truth. Say, “I forgot,” or, “You’re not important enough for me to make you a priority.”
The reality is that everyone is busy. Everyone has a lot going on. In America, we tend to pride ourselves on how busy we are because we connect busyness with importance. The more emails you have piled up in your inbox, the more important your position is, the more valuable your time is, and the more advanced of a career you have. That’s how we can tend to see it.
I know some people work more hours than others, but to be me, when I see someone with no free time I usually don’t think that they’re more important. I usually think, “Wow, you are terrible at using a calendar.” Some people pride themselves on how busy they are and then use busyness as an excuse for their forgetfulness. The same way people say, “My parents are visiting,” as an excuse to get out of commitments. (I know I’m not the only one who has done that.)
That being said, it’s funny that I still find myself trying to feel important by using the same methods. Luckily, LinkedIn always likes to keep me humble with the weekly emails I get saying, “Congrats! You had 1 profile views on your page last week.”
The less time you have free makes you feel like you’re doing more with your life, when truthfully you could be doing more, but you could just be doing less of what really matters. Careers are important. Money is important. But what would you say are the pieces of your life that really matter the most? Do you check on them as many times as you check your email?
Some of the most important times in my relationships with friends and family have been the times when there was nothing on the agenda except dinner. Sitting and laughing. Absorbing the moments together without checking our phones. I really can’t remember any of the emails I’ve sent in the past. But I remember the times when my friends and I would get lunch at work, or take a walk to the 7-11. I would say those have been the most important moments of my professional life. That and my LinkedIn updates.
Do your job and do it well. But do the rest of your life as just as well.
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