Are you Ready to Get Back to School?

We are moving out of summer and into to the fall. For some of you, it means kids going back to school, tons of extracurricular activities, and loads of homework! Schedules become chaotic and life soon becomes unmanageable. That is why I am a huge fan of sitting down and proactively setting boundaries before things get out of control.

Learn from the past:

Often habits have a way of repeating themselves. Last school year you may have been crazy and your life seemed unmanageable. You survived but you want to do more than just survive. You want to live and feel the kind of fulfillment you were meant to have.

One of the most important things you can do is to not get stuck in the past but to reflect on it. What can you learn and what habits don't you want to repeat. For example, did you take on too many activities for your kids so that you became a taxi service? Are you feeling guilty that you don’t spend enough time with your family? Did you feel you were running ragged and had no time for yourself or to rejuvenate? Whatever it was, have you spent the time becoming aware of the past in order to learn from it and plan a better future?

 What don't you want to repeat?

How did you feel last year? Did you feel chronically tired, were you running in circles and not accomplishing anything, were you shut down and running on automatic pilot? Take inventory of your life and the demands you make on yourself, as well as, those made on you by others. Begin taking an honest look at your time, priorities, and the feelings you had in the last school year. What don’t you want to repeat this year?

Recently, I decided to change some things at Pathways and in my son’s schedule.  I had a few things, that not only consumed valuable time, but did not produce anything that was moving my life or anyone else’s forward. I knew my decisions would not be popular, but when I asked if anybody else wanted the responsibility, nobody raised their hand. A clear sign that I needed to set new boundaries, start cleaning out my life, and learning how to say “no.”

How do you make the right decision?

I am an extremely busy woman wearing multiple hats. In addition, I am a huge over achiever and tend to take on way more then I need or can handle. I am always asking myself, “Was I meant to be a “human doer” or human being.” Doing the inventory is never easy. It is like throwing away things in your closet. You always think that “maybe” you will need that pair of pants eventually. You then end up with 20 pairs of pants you never wear that take up closet space you don't have. One of the easiest ways to get motivated to change is to find a new habit and start trying it on. I often begin to see the benefits the new habit brings which makes getting rid of the old one a lot easier!

 Take a look at your life and share below what old habits you will stop repeating and what new boundaries you can set to make this school year one you can genuinely look forward to!