Finding Joy ((and letting the rest go))

Have you ever really stopped to think about what makes you happy? Notice I didn't ask what THINGS make you happy - because in all actuality, things do not make us happy. More money does not = more happiness. Just like more busy-ness also does not = more happiness.

I have just started this book: Organized Simplicity. I am only on chapter one and it already has me thinking differently about my life, and the life I want to provide for my family, as well as further define the purpose of this blog.

In her book, Tsh suggests coming up with a family mission statement, noting it doesn't have to be anything fancy. To do this, think about what is most important to you and your family. While I haven't gotten to developing a mission statement, some things I know are important to us are:
-spending time together: laughing, telling stories, snuggling on the couch
-faith: we are currently looking for a new church (more about that later)

...and really, those are the most important things. I know I am not including every little thing that matters. This is a draft after all. But in my goal of spending more time together, that also means becoming more organized, yelling less, trying to let go of perfectionism, and also letting go of the idea of wanting more, more, more.

As of today, I currently am a part of seven part-time "businesses" (you may known them as direct sales/multi-level marketing), in addition to working a full time job. Wow. Now that it is written down it really does seem a little ridiculous.

When my son ended up going to the ER to get stitches Monday night (I was frantically trying to clean up after dinner/get baths ready, thinking of all I had to do that evening/the next day--and he had tried to stack up pillows in an attempt to get something down from our fireplace) and it occurred to me there was simply just too much.

Too much business. Too much focus on all the wrong things. So I am learning to let go. I hope you can come along on this journey with me. My mother suggested to me that I let go of all the things that do not bring JOY into my life, and invite things in that do bring me joy.

So I am letting go of all but two of my businesses. My wellness company that I am trying to build (which includes this blog), and my photography, as those bring me joy. I am also learning to say NO. Which also includes only booking X amount of photo sessions per week.

I am making a conscious effort to spend more QUALITY time with my husband and children. We typically get home between 5 and 5:30 M-F, and my boys go to bed right around 8. This means during the week, I have a measly 15 hours with my boys, out of the 120 hours in a workweek. Pretty sure I can use some of those other 105 hours to spend on Facebook, answering emails, editing photos, or cleaning my house.

We visited a new church today. The message spoke to me, the Readings were so relevant to what is going on in my life right now. Crazy how that happens sometimes, isn't it???

"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes." --James 4:13-14.

Who really matters to you in your life? Who will miss you when you are gone? Those are really all the people who matter. We shouldn't worry about who might like us, who might not like us, or even trying to be someone we are not in order to try to fit into molds that we are simply not meant to.

What about you? What do you see as your family's mission statement? What can you let go of in your life to spend more quality time with those that matter most??