One thing at a time

It’s “normal” and common to carry everything with us.

For example, we were traveling to Washington state this past Saturday - Tuesday and didn’t get home from the airport until midnight on Tuesday.

Wednesday I had a super fun bookclub after working with my awesome clients.

Thursday we had a Fever game after client appointments.

Friday we met with a group of friends for burgers and beverages at The Red Key.

And Saturday I got to celebrate a high school graduate after seeing clients.

It would’ve been very easy to piss and moan about having a “busy” week and “carry” all the upcoming events with me.

But I made a conscious decision to be present in each moment and believe that I’d have the energy and wits about myself to enjoy the next awesome thing on my schedule.

This choice allowed me to keep my energy, instead of worrying about the next thing and wearing myself out living in the future.

I decided I was going to “in-joy” each client appointment and evening activity.

I wasn’t going to worry about the next thing. It would arrive on its own and didn’t need me to do anything about it.

I was going to be present to what I was experiencing and trust that I would do the same with the next thing.

Our brains are wired to conserve energy because they believe we may need it to fend off a sabertoothed tiger.

We logically know (thanks to our prefrontal cortex) it’s 2026 and there are no tigers, but the primitive parts of our brains are millions of years old and they haven’t caught up to our reality. They operate from the old wiring so we need to remember what they believe and respond accordingly.

So by slowing my brain down and literally taking each moment as it came, I wasn’t spinning my wheels and wasting my energy.

And ‘ya know what? It was a great week!

Each appointment was delightful, each plan in the evening was fun and enjoyable, I came home from the graduation party with such a full heart, and energy to spare so I could enjoy watching a Fever game with Sully and the dogs and not be cranky because I wore myself out.

Is it possible to overschedule yourself and do too much?

You bet your ass it is and we see it all the time!

This isn’t an article encouraging hustle, sucking it up, or pushing through.

It’s about the power of staying in the present moment so you conserve energy and enjoy your life.

The things we did last week were important to us and were total “yeses.” None were done begrudgingly or out of guilt or obligation which are big red flags. If any of them were going to be done in that energy, I would’ve cancelled because I’m not going to show up like that.

Being totally present is a relatively new practice for me.

I’m very practiced at living in the past or future which is exhausting, overwhelming, and anxiety-inducing!

But the more I stay present in this moment by getting off my phone and fully participating in what I’m doing, the calmer, happier, and more connected I am to myself.

When I’m watching TV, I’m watching the show and not scrolling on my phone.

When I’m with Sully and the dogs, I’m not doing something else at the same time. 

When I’m doing the dishes or vacuuming the dog hair (never ending, LOL!), I’m doing just that activity.

Being present instead of “multitasking,” which makes us completely NOT present, allows us to enjoy life on a richer level and see all the different abundances that we have right at our fingertips, instead of thinking, “I’ll relax when I’m done with… or I’ll slow down when…”

Do an experiment and try it for a few minutes each day for a week and notice how you think, feel, and act differently.

Don’t take my word for it. Try it and see what happens. You’ll thank yourself!

You got this, Sunshine and I’ve always got your back!