Busyness has become a badge of honor. It means you're worth something. You're busy at work because people trust you with more responsibility. You're busy socially because you have a lot of friends. You're busy volunteering because you're such a good person.
And it's true. We are busy for those reasons. But when did it become a reason to brag?
I have been thinking about it a lot lately because I'm trying to prioritize things and figure out where to cut back. And then I stumbled upon this convicting article. And THEN my pastor talked about it at church this week. And that was when I realized I am not alone.
Sometimes we are busy because life is busy. And when you want to accomplish a lot and be productive, things get chaotic. It's inevitable. Sometimes.
But other times, we take on busyness solely as a source of self-worth. And that is what I am trying to discern these days. Am I doing it to do it? Or because I want to/need to/care to?
I'm ashamed to admit I've said the word "busy" 52 times since I started my blog. 52!? That's embarrassing. Especially since I clearly found the time to blog about said busyness...
Michael Phelps could have swum eight events, but he only is swimming seven. Because he knows he is better when he prioritizes that which is most important.
And as we head into the exceptionally busy season that is fall, I'm trying to view decisions through the lens of: what are my priorities? And does this add to them? By approaching life this way, I am hoping I won't lean on being busy as a way to feel important, but instead simply as the way life unfolds sometimes.
If Michael can do it, fingers crossed that I can too.
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