This week was a rough one. I spent a good part of the week fighting off thoughts of impostor syndrome and not sleeping well.
But I realized last night that much of what I perceived as happening to me, was really the universe just trying to teach or remind me of something.
The first lesson was all about sleep. I just did not prioritize my sleep this week, and by Thursday, I was so tired, I could barely think. I know I need 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep a night to be a functional human being. When I start getting 7 hours or less, I start losing the ability to think straight and to make good decisions. But many times, I put pressure on myself to get up early, to be somewhere at a specific time, to do things after work, and all of those things then take priority over sleep. But this weekend, when I finally told myself that I could do 8 hours of sleep and not worry about where I had to be the next day, I woke up refreshed and got so much done during the day because I wasn’t tired. Reminder received – sleep is good for me.
The second lesson was about expectations. I went to a training class on Friday, and I had high expectations for it because of what I had heard from other people about the class. Even though I know I should not have expectations for anything new I am doing, I went in with expectations, and I was very disappointed. The class did not live up to my expectations, and I left feeling it was a waste of my time. I don’t like feeling this way, so I tried to find the lesson in why I was there, and I came up with two things. One – I can learn things on my own and Two – I need to remember that high expectations are a recipe for disaster because they are too often not met. Reminder received – be open to new things and don’t expect they will be exactly like you want them to be.
The third lesson was about everything working out in the end. I had kept this weekend open on my calendar because I knew that likely there would be some sort of party or event for E, my best friend’s son, because he turned 7 this week. E had been non-committal to any specific plans, so it was just open when I left my house on Saturday morning. I had also found out this week that one of my favorite fabric stores was closing in a week, and I had wanted to stop by and check out the sales this weekend. The store is also pretty close to E’s house, so I was going to drop in before going to whatever event was happening. But as I drove down, I found out E was at the ER with an infection. (He is fine, by the way, antibiotics are taking care of him!) After confirming that they didn’t need anything and they anticipated a long wait, I headed to the fabric shop, knowing I had a little time to look around. This turned out to be a good thing for me because the store was packed, and I was there for over two hours (mostly waiting in line). Because I knew I didn’t have anywhere to be, I was able to be patient and calm and not stress over the wait. When I was done, they were still at the ER, and I was able to run some things they realized they needed to them. It was a long day for them, but I was glad I got to see them, and I even got to help when the doctor needed an extra set of hands. Reminder received – I am always exactly where I am supposed to be in the universe, even if it might not be where I want to be.
I often feel that I am doing a lot of learning, all the time. But when I stop to think about it, I am really getting reminders, because sometimes I get lost in my own head and forget the things I have already learned. So, thanks for the reminders Universe.
What about you guys, did you learn or get reminded about anything this week?