Too Busy To Go To Japan ~ Who, Me?

Too Busy To Go To Japan?Perhaps...but I’m going anyway.Here’s the truth. I’m busy…you’re busy…we’re all busy.But if we let busyness keep us from the experiences we truly desire, we cheat ourselves out of a life well lived.Imagine if we made all of our decisions about what we will or won’t do based on our perception of how busy we are in any given moment?If we did that I would certainly not be going to Japan next week.My calendar for the remainder of 2015 including work, home, family and personal responsibilities is fairly filled up. I’m guessing yours is too or will be soon with the holidays just around the corner.Of course, my upcoming trip has been on the books for months. Most of us schedule things like international vacations well in advance. For the bigger events in life we tend to take Covey’s advice ~ we schedule our priorities.So why is it so challenging to do the same when it comes to carving out a little personal time?When we don’t plan for our “me” time there’s a good chance our calendars will quickly fill up with other things. (You know, the things on those never-ending to-do lists we all have.)Which leads me to our Creative Oasis Quest for this week: schedule one “me” time experience for yourself.#1 ~ Ask yourself: “What creative experiences or activities I would love to enjoy this week?”For example, you may want to create a collage, take a nature walk with your camera, sign up for a new yoga class, visit an art gallery, try a new recipe, color or even just read a good book.#2~ Choose one: Pick the Creative Oasis Moment that sounds best to you…maybe something you’ve been thinking of doing but keep putting off until you’re not so busy. (Insert hysterical laughter here, cause we know when that will be, right?)#3 ~ Schedule it: Actually write it on your calendar, day-planner, iCal or whatever you use to keep track of all the plates you’re spinning these days.You get to decide how much “me” time to schedule. If you have an hour or an entire afternoon to devote ~ that’s fabulous. If that’s just not realistic for your current schedule, please remember that even spending 15 minutes doing something that energizes and delights you is time well spent for your body, mind and spirit!#4 ~ Act “as if”: Imagine you’ve made an appointment you’d be very unlikely to cancel…a doctor’s appointment…a business meeting…a lunch date with a friend...a flight to Japan. In other words…keep your promise to yourself and show up.#5 ~ Enjoy it…guilt-free: When the time comes to enjoy the experience you’ve chosen take a moment to consciously give yourself permission to release all guilt and relish every moment!With the holidays right around the corner, now is a wonderful time to practice saying yes to yourself a little more often ~ even if that means saying no to someone else.Stay tuned for “Create the Christmas of Your Dreams” coming soon ~ a Creative Oasis offering to help you give yourself permission to stop barreling through the holidays and actually say yes to more peaceful moments of joy this season.Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,Jill