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| Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much |
February 5
"Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult."
Charlotte Whitton
This quote may strike a nerve with some and only open up the battle of the sexes debate. But the point she is making is that women tend to feel they must work twice as hard and dare not admit just how exhausted they really are. Some women can pump out one task after another and appear unstoppable but at what cost to them? Women so often say they are 'tired of being tired' yet have a fear of giving a bit of it all up since, "My tiredness is mine, I've earned it".
February 6
"Neither reproaches nor encouragements are able to revive a faith that is waning."
Nathalie Sarraute
One of the problems with organized religion is that we are told what to believe, and feel to question is wrong as that must mean a lack of faith. That is very sad since sometimes beliefs can actually interfere with our connection with a power greater than ourselves. Faith is a very personal process. No one can give us the answers about our spirituality. Reading and thinking is great, but we must search inside ourselves and have our own understanding of God and trust our own knowing. Our spirituality is connected with who we are.
February 7
"Tension grew at home, and my work suffered as I committed to tighter and tighter deadlines."
Ellen Sue Stern
It is a myth that workaholics are always productive with a job well done. Maybe in the beginning, when we still feel in tight control. But over time, people get tired, whether they admit it or not. Health suffers, families suffer and the work suffers. Too much on one plate may end up with things getting done, but as the saying goes, it's half-assed.
February 8
"Well we start out in our lives as little children, full of light and the clearest vision"
Brenda Ueland
Once a person realizes to be a workaholic is an addiction, and treats it as such, he or she often looks back and experiences a moment of clarity for the first time in perhaps years. We realize how we have lost our focus in life with all the business and deadlines. It can be like hearing a lullaby from long ago. The words are faint but the melody dawns on us and becomes more apparent.
February 9
"Though a tree grow ever high, the falling leaves return to the ground."
Malay proverb
Personal success deserves recognition and due reward for our efforts. But we cannot forgot those who have helped us get where we are. There are those who perhaps stepped on anyone in the way to rise up the ladder, but for the most part, successful people have a support system, probably quiet and unnoticed in the background. Let us acknowledge and be grateful since our success also says a lot about them.
February 10
"Some people talk simply because they think sound is more manageable than silence."
Margaret Halsey
Some people find silence very unnerving. They seem to need to talk just to fill up the void. But endless chatter often results in no one really listening, we to ourselves or anyone who has to listen.
We have to realize that we don't have to fill up every minute, be it with sound or busyness.
February 11
"When Peter left me, the negative emotions that rose up in me and exploded in me were just horrifying. But God kept telling me that they were all part of me and I couldn't try to hide them under the carpet because I didn't like them."
Eileen Caddy
When pushed to the limit of exhaustion, pent up frustrations, or feelings of betrayal in relationships, we may see a side of ourselves we didn't think possible. While good to get it all out so those feelings don't simmer away, it doesn't have to become a meltdown or explosion. We have to be okay with having feelings and not be in the 'good little girl syndrome' all the time. We need to realize that the full gamut of emotions is totally normal. We can learn a lot about ourselves when we become aware of how we tend to deal with emotions.
To read the previous weeks' posts:
Week 1 January 1 - January 7
Week 2 January 8 - January 14
Week 3 January 15 - January 21
Week 4 January 22 - January 28
Week 5 January 29 - February 4
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