“There is no such thing as work-life balance. Everything worth fighting for unbalances your life.”
~ Alain de Botton
It’s a crazy time of year for me. As the end of year/beginning of the new year always is, in my line of work.
I have a retreat coming up in less than two weeks. Followed by workshops in Brisbane, my Christmas Pop-Up Shop, and the launch of my brilliant new secret project.
I have a calendar filled with client appointments for psychic readings.
My inboxes are groaning with messages and requests from people in crisis. I have family members ill, and friends.
I’ve been up in the middle of the night skyping and facebooking with international clients who have been affected by recent world events. Or by big life things. There are a lot of big life things going on just now, haven’t you noticed?
My desk (ahem, kitchen table at farm…) looks like this. (See photo above of crystals and mugs of tea, and oracle cards and magnesium powder and diarised magic into the next year.) That’s the tidiest side. The other is filled with groaning paper and book towers as I research and finish my project.
And Christmas is just around the corner.
Sounds insane, huh?
But I don’t do insane anymore. I do sustainable madness.
Sustainable madness looks like this:
And this:
And this:
And this:
It means that in the middle of the crazy I have acupuncture treatments and farmers markets and nutritious meals and cafe mornings and walks on the beach and stupidly early nights where I am in bed by 7pm.
I burn incense and aromatherapy essential oils. I play mood music. I drink good tea, and have lots of stretch breaks. I eat tasty healthy snacks. I let myself enjoy the buzz of crazy, and this push to get all the things done. It’s exciting. It makes me feel alive.
When you live a life doing what you love, when you’re following your passions, sometimes that means you’ll need to put extra hours in. Or you’ll need to say no to some stuff, momentarily, while you meet a crazy deadline, or chew madly on that impossibly big mouthful of life you bit off.
But that’s okay. If you also leave a little room for the important things that fill you up. The things that stop you burning out. The things that nurture and support you.
I am taking nearly a month off early next year, so there’s that big delicious rest to look forward to as well.
How about you? Are you doing crazy now too? And is your crazy sustainable, and even kind of fun?
I’m really looking forward to sharing my formula for crazy, beautiful, sustainable madness, and helping you to find your own recipe for this inspirational, get-things-done space. Don’t let people tell you that you need work-life balance and for every day to look the same. Sometimes our balance is chunks of happy madness, followed by chunks of rest. That works just fine for me and I bet it will help you too!
Lots of love, Nicole <3 xoxo
My crazy has been a complete surprise, caused when my little brother died unexpectedly, half a country away from me. In my retirement, I was planning to volunteer and hike and play with my dogs. My brother’s estate is now my full time job. I do detective work all day long to find his accounts and unfinished business. When I sleep at night, I dream of him, or I lie awake wondering if he died scared or in pain. I know he is a highly evolved soul and wonder if he will come back again or if this life was the end of his earthly journey. I know my crazy won’t last forever, but it is intense and causes me to question how I am living my life.
You do crazy like me – with lots of rest breaks 😊
Sustainable madness looks pretty good!
Thanks. I think so too!
Thank you Nicole for this timely post. My week at work has been crazy to the point that it seemed someone vomited insanity all over me. I’m tired, exhausted and just feel ……puffy! Weird I know. Am I enjoying it – no but I know it’s not forever. Something wonderful is coming. It peaks around the corner sometimes and gives me a wink. My 2016 is going to be amazing 🙂 as will so many people’s.
I think so too. Sending lots of love your way xoxo
I love Christmas, I love shopping for presents for my family members I love decorating the house but by the 26th I am done and dusted and glad it is over, the decorations come down on the 1st of January
That really made me laugh, Joanne. I feel like that too 😀 xoxo
Yes, I’m crazy busy right now too but making sure as you say, to get plenty of rest and eat properly. I went to the craft/fabric store this morning which always puts me in a jolly mood. Now I get to sit at the laptop scanning in photos of my 16 yr old niece for a shutterfly book I got a discount coupon for. I’ll give her a book of her photos through the last 16 years in the book for Christmas or Hanukkah. She celebrates both. My life is so much simpler than most. But I love the hustle and bustle and all the creative aspects of this time of year. Soup looks good. Glad you are taking time and care for yourself and Harry too. Hope Nurse Bert is doing as well. Looking forward to January so I can take the time to read whole books. :))
Nurse Bert sends crazy faces and love to you! I love that you are crafting that book for your niece. What a thoughtful gift. Crazy busy in a craft/fabric store? For many people that’s living the dream life!!! (((HUGS)))
No, I’m too old to work at a job so I turned my home into my own private fabric/craft store. Oh, it’s a bookstore/library too. Want to come play with me. It’s gift making season. :))) Thanks for the crazy faces and love, Nurse Bert. Hugs to you.
Just I needed to read this morning, Thank you Nicole…… I feel like I live in a constamt state of chaos, coming up for airens pasing out at night and accomplishing nothong. Thank you for sharing a different way of to view the madness. Thank you xo
My life is chained chaos, interspersed with beads of calm, solitude and companionship. I get more done that way. Let me teach you how to do that too. Most of us live with that kind of madness – the trick is in making it sustainable. You can do it! Stay tuned. More details soon xoxo
Great blog post!! Could you share the soup recipe from the pictures?
Haha! Really? I’ll post it for you tomorrow 🙂
Thank you for finding a little hole in your crazy busy sustainable life to be there when I really needed some help. I am so looking forward to the retreat. Take care of you my beautiful friend.
I’m looking forward to it too. Not long now 🙂