Where does the TIME go?

This morning I was browsing facebook, and my aunt Emma posted a link to a blog with a post that she liked.  That got me curious, so I clicked on it to check it out.  It was a link to a Brave Girls Club blog.  It looked like a good blog, very inspiring.  There were several links on the left, and I thought I would just browse to see what it was all about.  I found a link that completely spoke to me.  You know when you read something and it just completely describes how you feel, and it is what you are needing to read that day?  This was that post.  It was about time, and where your time goes.

I have struggled with balancing my time for the past few years.  A few years ago, I decided to dive in and open my own photography business.  At the time, it sounded like a wonderful great thing.  It grew so quickly, I had so many clients that wanted their pictures done.  What a great feeling--people liked me!  But consequently, that took up so much of my time!  I was sitting on the computer day in and day out, the kids did not get much mommy time, and poor Joe just got put on the back burner as well.  Yes I was happy taking pictures, but I was SO crazy busy that I couldn't even think straight!  I was so STRESSED beyond imagination. 

Fast forward to today...I decided to close my photography business and let me tell you, the stress relief that came with that was awesome.  I still, however, have people who beg me to take pictures for them.  I do find it very flattering when they beg and tell me that there just isn't anyone else around here that is good enough for them or meets their standards.  It sure makes me feel good about my work, but that is beside the point.  I am exhausted.  I am a people pleaser.  I get pushed into saying yes all of the time.  I knew this was a problem for me, so I actually went to a therapist for help in overcoming this.  An amazing thing happened.  People asked me to take pictures and I told them NO--and I didn't feel bad about it!  I realized that by saying yes to them, I was saying NO to my husband, to my kids, to my family, to ME...for what?  So I didn't have to feel bad?  Well dang it, It is MY TURN to take control of my time and how I want to spend it. 

The post I read this morning really put it into perspective too.  We are only given 24 hours in a day.  We don't get more hours than that.  A LOT of my time goes toward my children and taking care of them, my husband gets some of my time, my house gets some of my time, my job (bus driving) gets some of my time, cooking gets some of my time, and I GET SOME OF MY TIME.  To say yes to someone else means that I would have to take away time from one of those things, and dang it when that happens it just makes me grumpy.  So from here on out, I will say no if it is not important enough to me to take time away from something that really means so much to me! It is just not worth it. 

This is a link to the post I read this morning and loved.  http://bravegirlsclub.com/archives/2415