Hello, welcome back. The Live Magically content release was delayed last week so we had a little break. Even though it’s scheduled to go out every Monday, I didn’t provide anything new. First, thank you for your patience, understanding, and support. No, there wasn’t a big emergency. Everyone is fine. I simply needed to shift my focus elsewhere. I faced the decision to push through or postpone, and chose to postpone.
When I decided to launch Live Magically and made the commitment to myself, I had a plan. I would come up with a lot of content and pre-record at least 10 episodes and editions. Five would go live on launch day. The remaining five would be scheduled out the following five Mondays. That way, I would have over a month of content ready to go before launch day (in addition to the five episodes going live on launch day). Then I scheduled and announced the launch day.
Pre-recording the content didn’t happen.
I had it all planned out and knew the topics I would discuss. The actual material would be easy because it’s stuff I know so well. Recording, editing, and creating all the things to go along with each episode and edition is where I would need to dedicate time and energy.
Typical mom and life stuff happened, as it does. Yes, I did expect and plan for this. It was simply more than I had expected and planned, which is completely fine. People got sick with minor symptoms, recovered, and then needed more emotional support and connection than usual for other reasons. I had some old injuries flare up and re-started physical therapy. As you can see, it’s all just normal life stuff. I chose to prioritize the physical and mental/emotional health of myself and my family. That’s something I will choose again and again.
The Choice to Push Through or Postpone
You get to choose, too, for yourself and your family.
Getting 10 episodes and editions pre-recorded and scheduled before launch day was not worth staying up all night to complete. It was a choice. I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my sleep, which is connected to my well-being, and the quality of content that I release, just to hit that goal. It seemed a bit contradictory when talking about the importance of sleep and preventing burnout.
That doesn’t mean I will never sacrifice sleep and other things to push through (or for other reasons). Sometimes I do make that choice. Airlines still aren’t scheduling their flights around my sleep and awake hours. Don’t know why. Sometimes I do think it is worth it to keep working past my bedtime to get a task completed, but that is rare.
Why Push Through or Postpone?
Anyway, I made my choice knowing that I would be recording and releasing Live Magically content pretty much in real time. I could have postponed the launch date, but I didn’t want to. Instead, I wanted you to at least be able to benefit from the content I had already released.
Now, let’s talk about the days leading up to the planned podcast release last week. It was more of the same. I had other commitments and work-related stuff throughout the week. Mom and human things were still there, like getting the kids to and home from school, making food because people tend to like to eat, being physically active for my own well-being and thought flow process, and you get the idea.
Could I have found a way to set some of those things aside? Yes, absolutely. However, I didn’t want to. For example, I was already less physically active than I wanted to be. I wasn’t willing to sacrifice more of that time. Some, yes, but I had hit the limit of what I was okay with delaying in that category.
I recommend you have limits, too. Those limits can always shift if some type of emergency happens. I encourage you to simply be aware of all those choices and what you are trading for other things. Are those tradeoffs the decisions you are happy about making?
Push Through or Postpone, and Then Again
So, I planned to work on everything Live Magically over the weekend. It wasn’t my only weekend task or activity. Long story short, things took longer than expected, including getting the content ready. I didn’t have enough buffer time. Sunday night rolled around and everyone else in the house was already asleep. The content was partially ready to go, but I had at least another hour of prep work left.
My brain started to give all the signals to go to sleep and my eyelids got heavy. I used those signs to become more aware of the situation (knowing that it would probably end up taking over an hour more). In that moment I had three choices: push through and hit the deadline to release, wake up super early and try to pull it off in time, or get some sleep and delay the content release. I could push through or I could postpone.
Pause Before Deciding
I paused to think it through. The first two options would likely result in lower-quality work. I didn’t like that idea. You deserve better. Also, it could negatively impact my overall well-being. Live Magically is supposed to promote well-being. While I could have hidden the details of my decision, I stand for transparency and honesty. The last thing I wanted to do was start down that slippery slope of allowing my career to deteriorate my well-being while promoting the opposite.
This was an opportunity to show the real power and magic of living well in all areas. We get to make choices that sustain us long-term. Here I am one week later feeling fantastic and releasing new content. That seemingly small choice to push through or postpone could have been the difference between longevity and giving up too soon. I’m glad I chose longevity. Even more, I’m glad I’m sharing this experience with you.
I’m sharing this example of my real-life situation so you can learn from it. You get to decide what is and what is not worth your sacrifices. Choose wisely. Give yourself the permission you need to do whatever serves you best long-term.
What’s Best Down the Road?
The current realities of society make it seem as though all roads lead straight to motherhood burnout. This is especially true when we want to also do other things like have our video channels, podcasts, blogs, and businesses. We need to get creative to prevent motherhood burnout. It is possible to find a better way. For me last week, that meant being honest, telling you I had decided to postpone, and going to bed. What does that mean for you? Decide for yourself.
There’s a third option in addition to pushing through or postponing. You can decide that something isn’t as important to you and delete it completely. Especially if it’s not a priority, you can drop it without ever going back to it. That’s okay.
Emotions of the Choice to Push Through or Postpone
Now, I also want to discuss the emotional side of it all. When I made the decision to postpone, I was a little disappointed but mostly content with my decision. I knew it was a temporary setback for the long-term benefit. Also, I thought maybe I would release a different day that same week. Life continued to happen. There were moments of frustration and disappointment. Why is it so hard?!
The truth is that sometimes it is hard, and sometimes it can be easy. We all get to make choices that make it easier for ourselves. We just need to consider what will be easier in the future, too. There are lots and lots of things I want to do. I can’t do them all at the same time. However, I do get to choose the most important things and work toward them. Do I get grumpy about life realities sometimes? Sure, that’s part of being human. Also, I don’t stay there. I’m continually using moments of grumpiness as little reminders and opportunities. Every time I experience such emotions I get to ask myself two questions. The first is “why?” Why am I feeling this way? What is really at the root of it?
Feeling sad, disappointed, and grumpy that I would inevitably miss a week of Live Magically content reminded me how much it means to me and my community. It reinforced the importance. I know I’m on the right track with this. It’s perfect.
We Have Power
Before moving on, make sure to sit with your emotions. This isn’t about getting rid of them as fast as possible or covering them up. Your feelings are there for a reason. They’re all valid. Make sure to feel them. Process your feelings in a way that works for you.
That brings us to the second question: “What can I do about it?” In this example, I can plan differently. Perhaps my priorities need to shift a little. I can say “no” to other things to make more time for this. All along the way I can offer myself understanding, compassion, encouragement, and the occasional (metaphorical) kick in the pants when needed.
I say kick in the pants because it’s important to not let well-being become an excuse. In this situation, I’m okay with postponing occasionally when needed. However, I don’t want it to become a habit. Skipping weeks of Live Magically cannot become normal. Right now, I’m still getting into a flow with this. That’s okay. My goal is to improve. Within the next couple of months, I want to be consistently releasing every Monday and have everything scheduled at least three weeks in advance, building up to at least five weeks in advance. I’m not going to get to that point if I keep postponing.
Is there anything important to you that you are in the habit of postponing? Why? Do you like that answer? What can you do about it? Make a plan and a backup plan. Reevaluate and adjust each time things don’t go according to plan. You can make things happen!
We’re in this together.
I’m making it a priority to move things forward in all the areas most important to me. Let’s do it together. It doesn’t matter if we push through or postpone, as long as it works for us and we move forward. Let me know what’s most important to you so I can cheer you on!
Next week we’re going to start a 10-part series on the different areas of well-being so you can Live Magically. Make sure to check back every Monday for new content. I’m already working on it, and it’s so good! It’s the kind of stuff that could completely turn life around.
Now what?
Please share this content with anyone you feel would benefit. I want to help as many people as possible to Live Magically. Comments on blog posts and videos, and reviews on podcast episodes, help to get this message out to those who need it. So, if you leave a comment or review, I have a special gift for you. Email a screenshot of your comment or review to ashley@olivinewellnes.com and I will email you back with a PDF guide to help you Live Magically.
Here’s what YOU can do:
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Thank you so much for being part of my community and have a magical day!
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