How To Live With Ease in a World of Dis-Ease

“The time to relax is — when you don’t have time for it.” ~ Sydney J. Harris

Have you noticed?

Our world is full of dis-ease.

This dis-ease manifests itself mainly in the form of busyness.

Why are we so busy?

There are so many demands made of you, in so many areas of life. You often wake up paralyzed, not knowing where to begin. Deadlines, tweets, text messages, emails, reports, projects, people – it’s all legitimate, or so we tell ourselves. So many things that need to get done. By you.

But, why you? Does it really have to be you? Or are you dis-eased?

Our collective busyness points to a deeper truth. We’re not at ease with ourselves. We’re not content with where we are or who we are. We’re not satisfied. We’re not at peace with our own thoughts.

So, we stay busy. Even when we don’t need to.

Why? We want to be distracted. We want to convince ourselves (and others) that our lives matter because we’re important enough to be busy. But you’re not happy because you’re exhausted.

How do we begin to address this dis-ease?

Realize this truth:

You matter simply because you are.

Remember this as you pursue valid goals and worthy dreams. If you tried and achieved none of them, you still matter. If you have accomplished much, your worth does not come from these accomplishments – though it will feel that way. If you had to drop everything tomorrow, you’ll still matter, simply because you are.

A Life of Ease

What does a life of ease look like?

You’ll stop saying yes to things you don’t care about simply to win the approval of others.
You’ll stop pursuing careers that will win the admiration of all but bring you no joy.
You’ll stop wanting a large bank account simply to satisfy your ego.
You’ll find reasons to be joyful even when life throws you inevitable setbacks.
You’ll volunteer out of generosity rather than obligation, guilt, or fear.
You won’t compromise on your principles and values in order to feel a sense of belonging.
You’ll forgive yourself more easily when you fall short of your own expectations.

You Have Options

It’s true, sometimes we’re just plain busy.

But remember that you always have a choice. You can choose to live at ease, even when you’re busy. However, that can only happen if you stop attaching your self-worth to your busyness.

You don’t have to sacrifice your happiness to find meaning and belonging.

You’re free to drop the busyness anytime you want.