104 - A Full Life Holds More Than What You Accomplish

Last week, I had almost no capacity.

I was tired. My body hurt more than usual. My walks were slower. I was dealing with brain fog, taking naps almost every day, and looking around at all of the things I had planned to do that simply were not getting done.

And I started questioning my commitment.

Was I really committed to my goals if I wasn’t accomplishing them? Was I committed to my work if things I planned for Monday were still unfinished on Friday? Was I committed to this podcast if another Wednesday came and went without recording an episode?

But when I looked more closely at the week, I realized there was much more there than a list of unfinished tasks could show me.

My son turned 25. We spent time together as a family. I had breakfast with Megan. I noticed quiet moments on a morning walk. I was present with the people I love when they wanted my attention.

My body also needed something from me, and apparently that something was rest.

This week has looked completely different. My energy returned. I showed up in my office. I moved meaningful work forward. I worked on my manifesto, thought about the life and business I want to be living a year from now, and began preparing for a speaking opportunity coming later this fall.

But Friday arrived, and I still had not recorded this podcast.

That is when I realized something about commitment.

Commitment does not mean I will never miss a week, fall behind, lose momentum, or have a season when my capacity simply is not there.

Sometimes commitment looks like returning.

A productivity chart can tell me what I completed. It cannot tell me everything my life held.

A full life includes meaningful work, relationships, celebrations, and ordinary days. It also includes physical limitations, disappointment, rest, and the choice to begin again.

So in this episode, I’m thinking about what our days really hold, what we use to measure whether we are moving forward, and what it means to return to something that still matters to us after we have drifted away from it.

What is something that matters to you that you are ready to return to today?

Just because you drifted doesn’t mean you can’t return.