In one of the busiest seasons of the year, I have a question to pose...

How many of you have been personally victimized by a busy schedule?

Basically all of us, right?

Well I'm here to tell you, you're definitely NOT ALONE!

When you have college, a full time or a couple of part time jobs, a family, chores to take care of, pets if you have them, and trying to sleep, workout, be healthy, and have a social life, it can be a bit overwhelming.

BUT

Despite all of this, there is one thing we desperately have to keep in mind: Balance.

Now I know you're thinking, "Balance? You don't know my life... Balance is next to impossible".

And trust me, I know! I've been there too!

But I don't mean a perfectly balanced schedule.... what I'm talking about is a perfectly balanced attitude.

Let me explain:

We all get stressed, especially with everything we have going on but here's a thought we all forget to sit down and think about. Everyone we meet, work with, go to school with, live with... It's not their schedule. They don't know how busy you are, how stressed you may be, or what went wrong with today.

Us busy people have a terrible habit of blaming our attitudes and failures in an area on our busy schedules.

"Why didn't you take care of this?" "I'm sorry, I'm just so busy".

"Why did you treat me that way?" "I have a lot on my mind, I'm just really busy right now".

But is this really a reason to not do a job correctly or treat someone in a less than positive way? No, it's not.

You may be thinking, "I don't even realize I do that? What do I do about it? I really do have so much on my mind".

Here's my challenge to you, here in the season of joy and all year afterwards. When you go to a job, take a minute or even just a couple of seconds, and breathe. Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. Clear your mind of everything but that job. Your school stress shouldn't affect your work ethic, neither should family issues or other things on your mind. If you get in trouble for doing something absentmindedly, your excuse can't be "Well, you just don't know my schedule!" Because, they don't know your schedule and they really don't care. They want you to do what they asked regardless.

Carry that over to family and relationships. Honestly, we have a bad habit of unleashing all of the stress we can't unleash at work or school on the people who love us the most. So, treat them like they are as serious of a relationship as the relationship with your boss. Love them regardless of your schedule. They don't know what happened today. They just know they love you and want to be there for you.

Of course, you can totally rant appropriately to a family member or friend. (Trust me I do it daily!) But just remember to do it in love and not taking it out on them.

Try every day to take a few minutes, even if they're on your way to work or school, and de-stress. You can do this by listening to calming music or your favorite band, talking to yourself about your day and just getting it out, listen to a comedy station, praise God for another day, whatever it is that makes you feel calm and happy. Don't use this time to think about schedules or appointments. Use it to make you happy and prepared for your destination. If you can, once a week, read a book you love or play an instrument, hit the gym, walk a dog, pet your puppies, or hang out with friends and once again, use this time to just be happy.

We all struggle daily having a positive attitude everywhere we go, but every day is a new day. You can do it! I believe in you!!

Go out and have a happy, balanced day! :)