Recently I was listening to a podcast by Christy Wright. [By the way … I’ve been totally digging all of her content lately. Go take a peek at some of the work she's doing.]
During this particular episode, there was a statement that caught my attention and has had me thinking ever since. It’s had me evaluating my own life and I’ve even explored it with others in coaching sessions.
This statement wasn’t anything new, I’d heard it before. I know I've been coached on it before. In fact, I know I’ve coached other people on this very concept before. But it was something I hadn't pulled to the surface for quite some time and I think now as we emerge into life and the kiddos go back to school, it’s the perfect time to ask ourselves this question:
“Does my schedule align with my values?”
So many women ask me how to stay soul-synched and in alignment. What they really mean is, “How do I feel good about my life and at peace even as I navigate work, kids’ schedules, activities, and my marriage? It’s not an easy task and even after years of intention in finding this harmony, I still have days that feel like I’m failing in this area.
As this concept rolled around in my head, though, I realized something big: The times in my life when I felt most at peace were also the times when I focused on aligning my daily habits with my values. Woah! And that’s exactly how I maintain that peace today, even when I’m hauling kids to 18 appointments in one day and running a six-figure business at the same time. I believe that right now we have a beautiful opportunity to really explore the topic creating big change in our lives. Especially with many of us feeling the urge and desire to do life a bit differently.
We all have a specific set of core values.
Do you know what yours are? Have you evaluated them yet? Grab a piece of paper and write down the things, ideas, and concepts that guide the principles by which you live your life. Think about what roots you into who you are. It might be your religion. It might be your family values or your work ethic. We all have a core set of values and they might look different for all of us.
Now that you have your written list of values, ask yourself again, “Do my values and my schedule align with each other?” Go look at your calendar for the last week or month or even what you have on the books for the next few months.
For me, my own health and wellness, and that of my family, is hugely important. I also value putting my kids and my family first and creating time together. To me, that means having a good, strong marriage as a foundation, but it also means making sure I'm showing up as my authentic self. When I show up as my authentic self, I am serving and using my gifts in the ways God intended me to use them.
Here are a few ideas and examples to get you started.
- If health and wellbeing are some of my top values, I better make sure there is time in my schedule to work out, to go for walks, to meal prep, and to eat healthily. If I’m putting all of those things to the wayside and grabbing takeout every night, then my schedule is not aligning with my values!
- If being around the dinner table as a family is a huge value to me, I want to focus on making that happen at least five nights a week instead of stretching ourselves so thin in so many different activities that we never sit down to eat as a family. And yes, to make this happen we sometimes have to say NO to activities.
- If I want to give back to the world and show up as the best version of myself, I need to make sure that my work is in alignment with what I feel my core values are and that I’m sharing those values with the people I serve.
- If God is at the center of everything, my family and I better make time for Him each day. That may look like waking up early to do my devotions, attending a regular church service, or doing something with intention each week.
Everyone’s core values and crazy schedules will differ because we are not all the same. Where are yours shaking out? Are you completely out of whack or on the right track? Think back to times in your life where you did feel that peace. What were you doing differently?
What I see often is that when we start to feel disconnected in our life, our work, and in our marriage, it’s when schedules don’t reflect our core values. When I observe others in my community via social media or face-to--face conversation, I find that we women are slipping further and further away from our core selves. We’re trying to keep up with the neighbors, doing what we think we’re supposed to do …
So we pack our schedules so full of “stuff” that we don’t have time for what really matters. Before we know it, family time doesn’t exist, sleep is nonexistent and a quiet cup of tea in a bubbly bath is out of the question. Anxiety sets in, our hormones are a mess, and our marriage is falling apart. We blame everyone else around us because looking in the mirror or doing the exercises in this blog would be too easy. Or maybe we’re so overwhelmed that we don’t even have time to sit with this for just a moment.
When will enough be enough? When will we decide that it’s time to shift how we do life in a state of chaos to a state of peace? As a collective of women, we are the ones who get to decide that it’s time to create the change. As powerful creators and nurturers, WE DECIDE.
Honor Your Alignment
I want you to know what it feels like to live rooted, wild, and free. I want you to experience what this life of alignment is all about. Here is one more tool to get you back on track.
I created this fun honor alignment pyramid for a workshop a few years ago and I think it’s the perfect visual to help us focus on what we want to create while coming back home to our bodies. After you have taken some time to come up with your core values and your schedule, you can take it a step further and look at this honor alignment pyramid.
This chart isn’t necessarily about how much time you spend in each of these areas. It’s about where you are prioritizing your time. Take a moment to look at this and give yourself a little test. In what order do you prioritize your life? Do you put more emphasis on the kids and what they are doing, and little to none on your spiritual relationships or your marriage? Are you spot-on in this alignment?
I’ve shared this with hundreds of women and I can tell you that 9 times out of 10 when we are feeling out of whack in life, this flow and alignment is out of order.
Take some time to evaluate, journal, and just think about what comes to the surface when you put these three concepts together to dance. Your values, your alignment focus, and your schedules. Once you have done this, simply ask yourself what needs to change to bring them back into sync? What do I need to adjust in my life that will bring me closer to what I desire my life to be like? You don’t have to make giant changes all at once … just pick one item and begin with that.
You have the power and wisdom within you to take these steps - and all of the steps that follow - as you create the life you desire. The life that gives you that peace, even when you are juggling the kiddos, work, and you.
The time to change is now. Will you answer the call? Will you accept this invitation to evaluate and explore your new peace?
When you’re ready for more go grab my 5 Sacred Rituals Guide for free! It outlines the 5 best practices I’ve found to start getting truly rooted into your life and into your truth.