When I graduated from college I realized I did not want to go into teaching and had recently quit my job. I took any opportunity I could to make a little money so that I could take the time to figure things out and just enjoy a season where I did not have to work.
It was a preview I think to the rest of my life. A desire to have a slower pace of living, to have time to be creative, and make hobbies I love into something I could make a small amount of money from.
I realize my life is not for everyone and that I have my own unique situation and calling. But as time has passed and I found my specific niche (blogging and photography) I have realized I do not have to take every opportunity that comes my way anymore. I have found my place of being me and living a simple life.
I do not need more money. And I do not need more success. This doesn't mean that I don't work hard at what I do or that money is never tight. I have decided to not work or commit to things beyond what I consider a healthy balance for myself in order to maintain the lifestyle I would like to live.
I choose a simple life over having more things and I choose having more time over being busy.
This is so opposite of what our culture tells us to do. Go to school, get a job, buy a home, live the American dream. Make more money, climb the corporate ladder, and find your fifteen minutes of fame.
There is a part of me that wants this too. But there is a bigger part of me that likes a simple life. A part of me that likes to have free time. To be available to be with the people I love and to be flexible to my husband and future children's needs. To not live a life always anxious or stressed. And to take the time to make sure I live a balanced life making the things most important to me highest priority.
I am content in where I am at. Though I would love to gain more blog readers, more popularity for our photography, and more money to decorate my home with, it is at the end of the day that I realize though all of these things bring me temporary joy, they do not fulfill me or make me whole.
It is those moments I get to spend with my husband that make life worth living. It is those doctor's appointments with my parents I have the time to attend. It is those friendships that are fostered by being available. It's those flowers in my yard that I have the time to care for and enjoy.
I realize not everyone can be in my shoes. We all are at a different place at how much we have to work and how much we have to fill our calendar with in order to make life work. But my point to all of this is not so much about what the right amount of busyness in life is but rather knowing when to say no to more money and more success for the purpose of having a more fulfilling life.
