The great balancing act

Written by: Khadeja

We hear it all the time…let go of expectations and you will live a happier life…expect less and you will appreciate more. When hearing these nuggets of wisdom, you automatically assume that they refer to one’s expectations of a situation, friend, or loved one. And managing those expectations is doable and requires reminders. Most of the time we cut people a lot of slack and are more than willing to provide them infinite excuses.

But what about ourselves?

The most difficult of expectations are those that we expect of ourselves. And we all have them. Everyone has an image in their mind of the person that they want to become. Depending on what era you grew up in; that person is an amalgamation of influential individuals.

I grew up pre-Instagram era and therefore was influenced by Oprah & Martha Stewart. I had a vision in my mind that I would turn into a super successful mogul, running an empire by day and successfully managing an impeccable household by evening, elegantly dressed while preparing a home cooked meal.

The problem is when you expect so much of yourself you end up depleting your energy. And to refill you need to have your own downtime to just relax and refuel. But the catch is that when you are attempting to lead an ideal lifestyle you often max out your time with tasks that there is no idle time left. I am the queen of sniffing out time and subsequently cramming a task into it. Yes, I am that person that will make a trip to the dry cleaners at 7 am just because they are open.

There are merits to wanting to create a beautiful home and lifestyle. I believe that when cared for, your home permeates a beautiful energy that adds to your happiness. And honestly, I get such a gratifying high when I am efficient and manage to tick off all the items on my to do list. But there does need to be a balance – as with all things in life- and perhaps my life mission is to constantly seek that balance until I achieve it, embrace it, and live it.

Until then, perhaps I should start putting together “Undo lists”?