Instagram is my favourite social media platform. I love swooning over beautifully constructed images, good light and skilled photography. I love connecting with people over shared interests and seeing a snapshot into people’s lives. Something that I struggle to connect with is the army of ‘Fri-yay’ posts that bloom into life every Friday. Why? Let me give you a snapshot of my entire week.
On a Monday I work from 9-5. At the end of that work day I will spend some time at home briefly before going to a family dinner, attending a French class, working through a rehearsal for a play that I’m in, followed by a sibling debrief with my brother and sister. We discuss our goals and how we can support one another and talk business strategy. That’s how my week opens. I don’t lament that Monday, I look forward to it.
That 9 – 5 consistency continues from Tuesday to Thursday and I fill my evenings with different things like rehearsals for plays or shows, monthly networking meetings, gym visits, karate classes, organising community events, styling photo shoots for this blog and for my sister’s blog, taking product photos for Local Pantry Co., copywriting, editing photos and people. Lots and lots of people. To top that off, I’m now trying to walk every morning before work because of a 10,000 steps challenge we have on.
If I’m cramming that much into my week, naturally, my weekend is just as productive and important to me. No day in the week is worth any less than a Saturday or Sunday.
I’m busy. Sure. This is entirely by choice. This is the life I want to live. I am interested. I am awake. I am engaged. So when I see posts that say something ‘Fri-yay’ or ‘hooray for the weekend’ related, I can’t feel them. Sure, my 9-5 isn’t what I want to be doing for the rest of my life, but it’s interesting, it’s challenging, it’s in a great workplace and it’s with great people. I also look outside of my job for life satisfaction. I find it hard to celebrate an existence where 5 out of 7 days mean nothing to me. Every minute of every day means something to me.
Maybe the balance I have in my life also comes from working 4 days per week. Having a 3 day weekend gives me the chance to do important and productive things on at least one of those weekend days, and it also means I get to rest on at least one of them. I do a lot so I’m proactive in preventing burnout. It comes from experience. Last year I was studying full time, working full time and doing all of my extra stuff as well as running my blog. Burnouts happened weekly.
Because I’m so busy, I also do my best to be present in every moment. If I’m hanging out with friends or family, I aim to not think about what is happening next. I instead absorb what I can about the scene and just be. It’s because of this that I have amazing and fond memories of things like drinking wine while sitting on the kitchen floor with my housemate and riding bikes through the park for a picnic with my dear friend Cath. When I recall these things the feelings they give me are super strong because I was really, completely there.
I have lived a life before where I was living for the weekend. I remember asking myself ‘is this all I want?’ and the answer was ‘no’. Changing from that life didn’t involve a sudden spurt into fame or fortune or a dream job, it came from a daily decision to be the captain of my own ship. I decided what direction it would go in. I changed that direction by making small commitments to go to uni, or to cook my lunch instead of buying it at work. The change came from practice and from commitment. Builders don’t build houses with wishes or fantasies. They don’t build them in one day. They build them with plans, diligence and individual bricks. Individual bricks. One brick at a time.
Is this all you want?
Top: Modcloth
Cardigan: Louie et Lucie via Zulily
Skirt: Modcloth
Shoes: Forever New (Check out their full range of shoes at www.forevernew.com.au/shoes)
Bike: Lekker
Photos: Goldefield Girl
Also a big shout out and blogger love to Devinne at Mox and Socks! I attempted to channel her style with this post. Can you tell? Head over to her blog to check her out. She’s one of my blogger squad. You can read who else I love and adore in the blogging world on my About page.
– L
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