Happy Wednesday!
Guess what Friends?! Last Friday I successfully defended my dissertation! That means you can officially call me Dr. Hawley! Holy cow; that sounds so weird and I still can't believe it's my new reality! I have been in school for the past 25 years and I'm finally done! I'm not going to lie, I prayed for the rapture to come a few times because I was so scared of last Friday, but through His strength and guidance I passed (Psalm 18:1). So where do the Hawleys go from here? Well I will elaborate on that a little bit later. I know you're on the edge of your seat and biting your fingers nails, but calm down; I promise to fill you in soon ;-)
The past 5 years have been fun and insane. I felt pulled in every direction and I was rarely able to give 100% of myself. Despite having 2 million things on my daily to-do list, there was one thing that I worked on continuously for the past 5 years and that was maintaining my priorities. So, I thought I would talk today with you about
Guess what Friends?! Last Friday I successfully defended my dissertation! That means you can officially call me Dr. Hawley! Holy cow; that sounds so weird and I still can't believe it's my new reality! I have been in school for the past 25 years and I'm finally done! I'm not going to lie, I prayed for the rapture to come a few times because I was so scared of last Friday, but through His strength and guidance I passed (Psalm 18:1). So where do the Hawleys go from here? Well I will elaborate on that a little bit later. I know you're on the edge of your seat and biting your fingers nails, but calm down; I promise to fill you in soon ;-)
The past 5 years have been fun and insane. I felt pulled in every direction and I was rarely able to give 100% of myself. Despite having 2 million things on my daily to-do list, there was one thing that I worked on continuously for the past 5 years and that was maintaining my priorities. So, I thought I would talk today with you about
BALANCE
AHHHHHHHHH!!! That is such a scary word right?! I mean NO ONE has mastered the art of balance. If you’re fresh out of college, a new wife, a new mommy, in a transition, or really, wherever you are in life, I think this is an issue that we all battle with every now and then. So when I get overwhelmed or unbalanced I refer to my priority list. I am a serious list maker (borderline obsessive), but my priority list is the most important list I keep. This is my staple list:
1. God- He comes before everything, and everyone, else in the world. He gets my first and last word every day, and I am in continual conversation with Him throughout the day. Everything I do and say should be in accordance with His will for my life. If I’m abiding in Him, everything else will fall into place. Matthew 6:33 and Exodus 20:3 (Sidebar- I am not perfect at this keeping priority, but I do strive for this and recommit all the time)
2. The Mr.- He deserves nothing but love and respect from me. I try my best to provide a secure and comforting home for our family, where peace, joy, and encouragement can be found.
3. Family- Families are units that make up society. Of course I find this to be important not only for society but also for me. I adore and value my family and honor my elders. I do my best to provide for them spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
4. Relationships- People are more important to me than objects, therefore I don’t treat them as such. I am dedicated to being actively present with a person, meaning, I don’t check my phone when I’m talking to someone, I listen and don’t worry about what I’m going to say next, I don’t try to one-up someone, and I give them eye contact. Not only is this respectful to others, but it places value on an individual. And yes, I absolutely value the people I interact with: this includes everyone from my bagger at Kroger to my boss. I value their lives.
5. Work- Work is last, but not because I don’t like my job. I acknowledge how blessed I am to a) have a job, and b) love my job; this is not the norm these days. I am very passionate about the work I do, and the impact my work has on the greater world population. But I work to live, I don’t live to work. If I lived to work, then everything else on my list would be out of order.
Again I am not perfect at any of these priorities, this is just how I try and structure each day, so that I can give my best to these 5 areas. If I find myself unbalanced, doing something that does not meet one of these priorities, it is easy for me to cut it out.
What are some things on your priority list? How do you find balance in this crazy world?
