Thursday, May 28, 2009

Do the three bears exist in real life?


In the story the three little bears there was always something that was too much, something too little, and something just right. My question is this: Is there ever anything just right in real life? Particularly in regards to workload.

Last week, I had 3 days in a row where my workload was simply overwhelming. There was way too much for me to do, and I found myself running around all day long doing one task, while being called to do 3 others, and trying to get to the last 2 tasks as well. The last day of my 3 hectic days in a row was the worst, and the busiest, and I found myself feeling extremely stressed and frustrated. Ultimately I felt most frustrated as I ran up and down the hallway hectically and saw several of my coworkers sitting at the desk talking, seemingly unaware of how ridiculously busy I was.

I tried not to let it upset me too much, because, I know on occasion, I myself have been one of the people sitting at the desk. However, that last day of chaos, was a great reminder for me to be more aware of the people around me. It is so easy when there is the other extreme, too little work (it really does exist if I am not looking outside of my own personal tasks), for me to get caught up in relaxing in between duties to the point of being unaware of the busy person running circles around me. Especially when I have been sooooo busy previously, it is very tempting to use my excess time in a passive way, not just at work, but in all areas of my life.

It seems at work, and in life, things generally fall into either the too much work or the too little work category, and the key to the "just right" is me. When there is too much, my attitude makes a huge difference. If I can take it in stride and keep things in perspective, then I can usually finish out a crazy day having learned a lot. Especially if I can remember that God does not send me more than I can bear, and he will help me get through it. If I spend too much of my energy complaining and crying, then often I miss the little subtle lessens he wants me too learn.

When it is a lighter day, if instead of resorting to time wasters in between duties, I look for others around me who need help, or other tasks that could be done, then I feel much more productive and those around me are less likely to fall into the too much category. Again, if I turn to God and ask him to help me be more aware of those around me, I usually find them. I need to take this principle to my home as well. So, do the three bears really exist? Whether they do or not, Goldilocks would have been better off look for happiness in her own home or heart, because the just right was there from the start.

2 comments:

  1. I know what you mean Liz--I feel like I'm either running in 10 different directions, or bored stiff! You give good advice!

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