💬 CROWDSOURCING: How do you honor your limits?
To pretend you’re limitless isn’t freedom, it’s folly—and to honor your limits isn’t quitting on yourself, it’s caring for yourself.
I've reached my limits this week.
On Sunday, we hosted Easter dinner.
On Monday we took our middle son to the University of Illinois for a college tour.
Tuesday through Thursday I was in Phoenix for a men’s conference focused on becoming a better husband and father.
In Phoenix, I conquered some personal demons while hiking up a mountain (stay tuned for that story).
On Friday we finalized both the cover and the back cover copy for my forthcoming book (stay tuned for more on that, too).
On Saturday, middle son had a tennis meet and prom and a half-dozen teenage boys spent the night.
On Sunday it was my wife’s birthday.
Finally, on Monday and Tuesday, I finished preparing for an event I'll be keynoting tomorrow.
In other words, this week, I’ve got a thousand things to tell you—but zero seconds in which to write them down.
I've reached the limits of what I can do in the midst of space and time and flesh and blood. In the past, I'd have blown right past my limits, worked beyond my capacity for sanity, and burned myself out. In doing so, I’d have created chaos in my home, illness in my body, and sickness in my soul. This time, though, I’m doing something different, by honoring my limits and asking you to help me answer this question:
How do you honor your limits?
This is how Crowdsourcing posts work:
In the comments, in all caps write the word or phrase that reflects how you honor your limits—for instance, ASKING FOR HELP—and then, if you wish, share some details so we can understand it even better. (If you have more than one to share, leave two or more comments rather than putting them in one.)
Choose one other commenter whose comment resonates with you and let them know by responding to their comment.
Thank you, not only for helping me through a particularly busy week, but also for connecting with each other—watching our community support each other is a graceful gift!
GIVE MYSELF THE GIFT OF ADEQUACY. This week I'm spending as much time as possible with my mentor in the last days of her life. I'm still parenting and foster parenting. I'm taking care of the animals. But everything else is switched to survival mode. Work, household chores, dinner, I'm letting go of anything beyond adequate. No striving for excellence this week! I even let a friend wash my dishes last night. Woo sah.
I STOP SHOULDING ON MYSELF . Growing up in a home where it was my job to keep my parents happy to be safe, I find myself at times in places of exhaustion and overwhelm. Each time I have to evaluate where I let other people’s “shoulds” drive my decisions and not what makes my soul sing. I also don’t have to live at the pace of other people. I don’t thrive running at the pace of society and I want to be my best self not my resentful spent self .