The Difference Between Doing and Being

We all get caught up in the busyness of life.  If you are anything like me, life can get very full with ‘To Do’ lists all over the place.  I have them for work, for home, for my daughter … and the list can go on and on just on what lists I have, let alone what is on the list.

I’m getting tired just thinking about all the stuff I want to accomplish.  I have also come to the realization that my ‘To Do’ lists will all out-live me.  No matter what comes off, something always replaces it on the list.

It can be exhausting!

What I need to also keep in mind is that my lists do not own me.  I need to carve out time to take care of my needs which oddly never seem to make it on the list.  My lists are all about busyness; my list does not contain items such as ‘Sit on my sunny deck enjoying an ice tea with my daughter.’

I have learned I needed to be intentional about stopping the ‘Doing Life’ and start living the ‘Being Life.’  We are after all called Human Beings, not Human Doers.

So, what does ‘Being’ look like in our lives.

It looks like being present, enjoying what’s going on around me.  It means making myself a priority in my life through self-care.  Does this mean I cast aside all my responsibilities of work and family?  No.  It means I’m intentional about ensuring I am not a slave to my ‘To Do’ list.

When I’m intentional about living in the moment, I make time for being present with my daughter.  That does not mean while we are doing dishes; it means that perhaps we take a walk together after dinner and then come back to finish up dishes.  Life is not about the busyness, life is about enjoying the moments with the people that we love.

When I started shifting my life from a Life of Doing to a Life of Being, I found it necessary to start trimming down my ‘To Do’ lists.  Anything that stayed on the list longer than 1 month gets dropped, since it’s obviously not a priority.

I was surprised to find that once my ‘To Do’ Lists started shortening up, I felt the self-imposed pressure of keeping up with life lifted from heart.  I keep my tasks down to a manageable few hours on the weekend and then spend my time Being with my daughter, Being with Grand Dude and Being with my friends.

Life is good.