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Cheers to Life!

Lauren Grace Living

Archive

Cheers to Life!

I like my routine. In fact I like it so much that altering my routine makes me anxious and edgy. I work best when there is structure in my life. I’m the most productive when I’ve meticulously scheduled out my day from when I wake up in the morning to when I go to bed at night. When I stick to my routine it guarantees that I’ll end my evening feeling accomplished. However, lately I’ve noticed a problem with my routine, it’s BORING!

While feeling productive and accomplished is great I’ve left no room for spontaneity and fun in my life. I recently got back from my birthday celebration in New York City. The trip was off the charts amazing! I was surrounded by my closest  girlfriends and family having a blast day and night. One thing that I really love about traveling is that I give myself permission to break my routine. I let go of structure and to-do lists and just let myself be free. With this freedom comes moments of spontaneous fun and laughter. It creates the place where memories are made. When I look back on this past year I like to reflect on all the good memories, or what I call “magic moments” of the year. And while I made tons of memories while I was on vacation in NYC, I sadly can’t remember that many other magic moments from 2012.

I was super productive this year. I definitely accomplished a lot; from creating this website and blog, getting certified in injection therapy, studying and completing my first board exam, and becoming a Master Reiki practitioner amongst other things. I can look back and be satisfied with all the work I put in. But to be honest I can’t remember having that much fun. To accomplish everything that I did I gave up my social time. My friends barely saw me, and I’m sorry to say I think they got use to me saying No every time I was invited out. So yes I got a lot done this year, but at what cost? I sacrificed fun and love for the feeling of accomplishment.

The question is, if I were to die tomorrow would I be happy with my all work and no play lifestyle?

The answer is an obvious no to me. Now I don’t believe in regrets and dwelling in guilt over past decisions, but I do believe in learning and growing from them. I realized when I got back from New York that it was time to make a change. I was going to have to break up my routine a bit, learn how to be FLEXIBLE, and leave room for more memories to be made.

That is why for the last few weeks I’ve been making the effort to go out and get together with my loved ones. And in just a short period of time I’ve been able to reconnect with old friends, meet new friends, and make some great memories to end the year on. Yes I’ve been eating and drinking more then I normally would. I went over on my budget and spent more money then I normally would. I’ve also been staying up later and have been more tired. And I may not be as disciplined as I once was when it comes to my studies. But I am also experiencing a lot more smiles and laughter and overall feel happier and more excited for life.

Now don’t get me wrong I’m not out partying till 2 am. I am still responsible and aware of the work I have to get done. And I keep my structured routine the majority of the week. But I’ve started to let my hair down on the weekend a bit by keeping my schedule open and flexible, leaving more room for fun.

I’ve decided that while accomplishments and my career are very important to me, spending time with friends and loved ones are just as important too, if not more. My nature will always thrive on structure and routine. I never have to worry that I will fall into a partying lackadaisical lifestyle. I’ll always be goal oriented and focused. So for me I have to learn how to loosen the reigns on my life more. To not be so controlling on how I spend every hour of my day. To go with the flow more even if that means staying up way past my bed time and sleeping in an extra hour (gasp!).

No one looks back at their life and remembers the nights they got plenty of sleep.

So I am officially making a public commitment to have more fun and make more memories in 2013. And my friends and family can hold me to it!

Where are you on the work to play scale? Do you spend too much time partying and need to have some structure and routine in your life? Or are you like me and need to break up your routine every now and then? How many magic moments have you created this year?

Take time to reflect on where you spend the most amount of time in your life, and where you want to be spending your time. I still love my routine and structure but I’m also ready to shake things up a bit. Here’s to many fabulous memories in 2013, CHERRS!