Dear Friends,

Rush rush rush is all we do! We hear ourselves say I’m late! I’m late. Then we jump into our cars with that hurry up and get there approach to driving and we put ourselves and our babies in harms way. We don’t mean to do this yet we catch ourselves in this hustle and bustle mode more times than not. Why is it we cannot figure this out for ourselves? Why does it take a terrible accident to bring this to our attentions?

If we need to be somewhere at 10:30am and it takes us 45 minutes to drive there, we need to leave by 9:45am, but if you do not know where you are going then you will need to factor in some get lost time. I had an appointment this morning and didn’t quit know where it was. So even with a GPS, I factor in an extra fifteen minutes. I was there about 10 minutes early and I did get lost but I was not stressed out because I had plenty of time.

I don’t like to feel pressured any more. After living for many years with the peace that my routines give me; I can’t handle the stress of being late and feeling hurried. I had much rather allow myself plenty of time and enjoy the ride instead of taking a chance that I will get into an accident and get killed or hurt someone else because of my inability to judge time. I have had to practice this one habit for it to become automatic for me.

There is always a cause for an accident. I believe with all my heart that if we let go of our perfectionism (doing one more thing before we walk out the door), going to bed at a decent hour (so we are not exhausted), and quit procrastinating about doing routines (all of them from putting gas into your car before you hit empty to fastening your seatbelt); that we will see fewer accidents. I am not talking about accidents just in the car but in your home too. We have a tendency to not put on our shoes and we fly down the steps head first. This is not the FLYing that I want you to do!

This month we are practicing our new habit of decluttering and right along with this habit I want you to start thinking about your travel time and slowing down instead of rushing around! You can do this. When you put an appointment on your calendar write in the time of the appointment and right beside it put what time you need to leave the house. If you are still in procrastination and perfection mode then you need to tack on an extra 30 minutes because you will not ever leave with enough time to get there. Eventually you will start using a little discipline because being tough on yourself could save your life; not to mention stop heaping tons of guilt on you for having an accident and maiming you and your family. You can’t take back moments when you run red lights because you were not paying attention or because you were in a hurry and just wanted to squeeze that lemon one little time. You will have to live with those memories for the rest of your life.

Let’s look at what happens when we use our cell phones in the car. Put your phone in the back seat so you are not tempted to use it while you are driving. Turn it off while you drive. I was at a stop the other day and counted the number of people holding a cell phone and driving. Three out of five people were on the phone. There is no excuse for this. Commit to being safe in the car. Don’t even think about texting and driving! This is just plain stupid. You are smarter than that. If you need to talk or text with someone; pull over! With even fifteen minutes factored into your drive time you will not feel pushed to talk on your phone and drive.

Now I want to talk about getting out on the highway when the weather is bad. Don’t take a chance. You can watch the weather reports and you know when we are getting ice, snow and bad weather. Stay home! It isn’t going to hurt anyone to miss an after school activity. If you have done your meal planning and have a pantry that is well stock for emergencies then you don’t have to leave home at times like these. Pull out your board games and have some fun with the kids. Don’t put your family in danger because you procrastinated about buying groceries. Set up your pantries and start meal planning. Have soups and other foods on hand so you can still feed the babies without running a risk of an accident!

I want you to slow down! Do it for the peace that comes when you are not always in a tizzy! Do it to save a life! Do it for you! When you start living each moment instead of rushing to get there; you are going to feel much better! That lack of stress may actually help you stay healthier this winter. Stress depresses your immune system and you get sick more often.

Now I am crying! I just wish I could impress upon you how much you put your life and the lives of others in danger when you are in a hurry! Slow down and it starts with going to bed and getting your rest, implementing simple routines and most of all Loving Yourself enough to not want to feel that pressure from being late.

Please say a prayer for all of our members to be open to a new way of living! Stress free and FLYing!

FlyLady

We have everything you need to keep your home shining! Sometimes we need a little motivation. Our efficient tools give us a jump start! They make a tough job fun. If you make it fun; it will get done!

FlyLady here; Holiday Cruising Missions have started . Go download your free Holiday Control Journal.