Pursuing less, but really more
Camilla Moss
Blog 1
Recently, I decided to apply for a position in a school
district closer to my home. I had been commuting to Atlanta daily for my
position at the Georgia Department of Education. In addition, I frequently attended meetings
and trainings across Georgia. I
traveled out of state for national conferences and meetings for my role as 619
Coordinator in the Division of Special Education Services and Supports. The work I was doing was interesting and important. Unfortunately,
the balance between my work life and home life became out of sync. When I was offered the new position closer to
home, I accepted it happily but with reservations. Was this the right choice? Was it the right time? Would I like it? These were a few of the questions running
through my head until last week. During
my final week commuting into Atlanta, I listened to Greg McKeown’s Essentialism:
The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. The message of doing fewer things better
registered with me in a powerful way. I had already made a choice to do less of the
things that kept me from one of my major priorities, my family, in favor of
doing more fulfilling work at the district level. Today was the first day in my new position
and it was wonderful. I know that there
are significant challenges and obstacles ahead.
It is my hope that I will be ready to face them because I have made the
necessary changes to the demands on my time.
Instead of spending two and a half hours in the car daily, I will gain
two and a half hours of sleep, family or productive time. As I learn my new
roles and responsibilities, I am concerned about taking on tasks to be viewed
as a team player. I believe new leaders
will always be susceptible to saying “yes” and becoming overburdened due to the
desire to please. As we work to develop
our leadership ability and effectiveness, we must continually work to keep the philosophy
of “less is more” at the forefront to support our ability to be focused on the
mission. Hearing Mr. McKeown’s message
while making this life change has resonated with me and provided the motivation
to continue to say “no.”
I just cheered "YES!" again (see my post for that reference)! It's so hard to say no and make changes in our lives after they have become established habits but to what expense? Commuting to work, hours spent in the car away from families and unending work, work, work is not our soul purpose in life. We weren't put here to work our lives away but hasn't that become the norm? We need more. We want more. We need our kids to have more. What our kids and families need is our time not our money or things! I applaud you for making this change for your family and for yourself! Good luck in your new role! I predict you will enjoy the new freedom that comes with the shorter commute as well as all the things you will be able to do because you won't be tired and stressed.
ReplyDeleteAnother book you might want to check out is Lysa Terkeurst's The Best Yes!
Beth,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the book recommendation and the affirmation. So far, so good. I'm excited about the possibilities of this change!