Do you do something useful with your life?

I recently read an excellent article by Lynn Marie Sager, "The Power of Vaccuum", which talks about a topic that I often mention in passing in my articles and that is very common among professional women. The feeling that the day does not have enough hours and that, although you're always very busy, you are not satisfied, you do not have a full life, a life of purpose.

Also, this weekend I heard that according to a study 66% of Spanish women are stressed and feel that the days are not enough hours. As I'm sure this applies to women of any nationality, I decided to write about it.

We have a day full to the brim with activities, we are running from one place to another, it seems that the days are not enough hours and hopefully we did not have to eat or to do more things (that's if you're not that skip the food to go to the gym).

The problem with this situation is not just that you're stressed, exhausted and do not have time for everything you'd want, but the years go by and one day you realize that your life is missing something, you're not exploiting. The question is: Are you doing something useful with your life? Or are you filled with all kinds of activities do not pose any kind of satisfaction or fulfillment?

From the list of things you have done, what is there to improve your quality of life that makes you enjoy, take you to your definition of personal or professional success? Or perhaps you are doing things without thinking twice? Of course, we all have certain obligations that must be ordered, but are part of your activities or are the majority? If most of the activities that you are out of obligation and do not contribute much, why do you wonder if your life is meaningless?

The point is that since your days will be full of activities and busy, why not try it with activities that bring something to your life that are important to you? Of course it is not easy, no, if it were there would be 66% of Spanish women stressed. Your schedule is always full, always have more things to do, people will always be more things added to your list. But think a moment what your life would be like you want, fulfillment, purpose?

Here's the important thing, if you fill your day with all sorts of relatively trivial activities, and then try to find time for the things that matter to you, not find it. So what's the alternative? Schedule first things you care about and fill in the gaps with the rest.

Imagine you have a glass jar of a certain size and you have to fill it with sand and pebbles. If you fill the jar to the brim with sand, then by how hard you try you will not be able to put any marble. However, if you fill it with marbles, there's always some room for the arena. Of course you can not get all the sand, After the jar has a size unchanged, but you can choose how much of everything you get.

Applying this to your life, one day only 24 hours, much as I want to stretch it's like the jar, has a certain size and you can not do anything about it. The sand is the activities that add quality to your life, obligations, "should", etc.. And the pebbles are the really important things, which will make life more pleasant, that make your day worthwhile. So you know, you can choose to fill your jar of sand, which is probably what you've been doing (with the odd marble from time to time, of course). Or you can put all the marbles as you can and fill voids with sand. Fortunately or unfortunately you can not get it all, so you choose and what you choose will determine your quality of life.

If you continue by focusing on activities that contribute nothing to your life, eventually you run out of power and feel that the days you escape unnoticed. If you continue doing everything for others without taking care of yourself, more of the same. If you do not schedule time for things that are important to you now, and never will fill your life with sand (yours and others).

Tell me, what will you choose? To go on running and doing things that add value to your life, or start filling the jar of marbles?