"To do" list stress

I made a shift the other day that made an incredible difference. I have gotten really motivated lately and had organized my to do lists in my reminders app on my computers and was getting lots done and checking it off. I had started doing some of the little hobbies I have loved since childhood and enjoying them.

I felt so accomplished but I also noticed that I was physically uptight because I realized I was striving for control and perfection. I also knew from experience that the momentum would crash because that state of being was completely out of harmony with true peace and joy.

I realized I had to take my focus off of my to do list and notice how I was feeling because just focusing on what I was accomplishing and checking it off wasn’t my best measure of success. I had to look within to capture that sense of knowing and the right way of being. Looking at that external list was deceiving because internal awareness is key to real success, joy, and peace. It was monumental to realize that I was addicted to the list and checking things off and it had become my end all instead of just a means to the real measure of success which is that internal barometer.

The shift that I made was through the simple statement, “Breath in the moment.”

I discovered that I could still make a great to do list  and stay motivated and get a lot done, but I needed to stay in the moment and enjoy it. Just stopping and taking that deep breath was all I needed to do. I realized that only focusing on my list was creating the stress and body tension. Stopping and breathing in the moment helped me experience the true joy of what I was doing and released the stress.