NOTE! If you enjoy this post, please feel free to share and twitter it with the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/2j4bb8 . Thanks, I appreciate it!

When is enough….enough?

I experienced a truly glorious 55 minutes last Friday afternoon (bordering on delusional, as you’ll see).  I was sitting in on my kids’ beginners karate and told another adult,

I can’t promise it, but I *think* my Saturdays will finally free up.

What nirvana!   What bliss!  Actually having time for oneself….what an  extraordinary concept!  This blog, btw, had just been launched previous day.

7 minutes after that statement, I experienced something that led to my posting What beginners karate taught me about blogging.  I missed adult self-defense after that, worked on the weekend when I wasn’t with my husband and kids, and haven’t stopped since.

• The good news is, I’ve accomplished an astonishing amount of work and re-design that will really benefit my future work.
• The bad news is, I’ve lost sight of myself over the past 2 months.

Think about it.  One’s life is never just blogging or working - one’s life is blogging/working and one’s family!  I’ve made certain to spend time with my kids, my husband, my 15 parakeets; I’m not neglecting that extremely important aspect of my life.

But!  I AM neglecting….me.

And that’s just pitiful, it is.

I used to be awake enough to attend my adult martial arts classes. 

I adore sparring/grappling/karate/etc., but my inner clock now has me getting up at 3am and working/being awake until 7pm, when I generally collapse in a heap.  Sometimes I manage to get my kids to their karate lessons, sometimes my husband does….sometimes we all simply do the 2.4 mile circle walk as a family and then enjoy our evenings….until 7pm that is, when again, I fall asleep.

I am not just SuperBlogger or SuperMom or SuperWife or SuperEntrepreneur - I’m also ME. 

And I’m realizing I really need to attend to that blindingly obvious fact of life.

I love the current dojo that I attend….but there are no classes during the morning/afternoons.  Wah!   I really want to get back into martial arts but at the time I have available for ME.  During the summer when the school pace is slightly less hectic, perhaps my inner clock will change…but for now, I need to find something that works, time-wise, for me.

Too much work-time and not enough ME time leads to one burned out Barbara Ling.   And that is just plain less optimal than marketing health food at a biker’s bar.

So what should I?  Should I find alternative martial arts places close by me?  Try to discover a new hobby that gets me away from the computer?   Actually (gasp!) get a life?

What would YOU do?  Have you ever noticed your dedication to your craft is leading you to ignore that which drives you (your soul and spirit)?  How did YOU resolve such a thing?

Do let me know!  I welcome all comments.

Owlbert

Related posts:

1. How do you relax?
2. Amicably pummel your children - they’ll thank you for compelling them to face their fears
3. What taking the hit in karate taught me about blogging - personal courage
4. What being kicked through the air taught me about blogging - When your blog is attacked

(By the way, if you have any questions about the topics in this posting "Reclaiming YOU at the end of your rope - Forget about SuperParent or SuperBlogger or …", do comment below - I'll try to clarify any issues).

If you find this blog posting useful, please feel free to share it below. And do feel free to let your friends know about it as well....I very much appreciate your time!

Like this article? Please feel free to subscribe to our updates!