Still Life

This is for the perfectionists, the work-a-holics, the ones who never stop climbing their mountains. The people who don't think they're good enough yet.  This is even for the people who think they're lazy, 'cause chances are, you're trying too.

I try a lot.

I try to do so many things, then sometimes I realize I'm trying to hard...and I'll try to stop trying.  Which obviously, is also a form of trying.

Sometimes you gotta actually stop trying so much.  There's a balance somewhere in there, between doing too much and doing nothing at all.  That elusive grey area is called living. And it's very important.

Here's a nice list of things we often try to do:
 - Eat better
 - Pray better
 - Be more productive
 - Write more words in a day
 - Go to sleep earlier
 - Wake up earlier
 - Be happier
 - Rest more
 - Read more books in a year
 - Get straight A's
 - Be more nice
 - Get to the bottom of the to-do list, or the TBR
 - Blog regularly
 - Breathe
 - Make lists so we realize what we're trying to do...

Obviously none of these things are bad things to attempt.  However, you shouldn't spend your whole life trying to do something.  Sometimes, you can sit back and realize that today, you accomplished one of those things.  You can sit there for a while, because maybe you've been trying to do that for a really long time.  You can celebrate before you start trying to do something else.

You can also stop trying things for a while.  Give yourself permission to pause the endless cycle of self-improvement, for goodness sakes.  You have permission to just exist for a while.  You just do.  Who told you to base your life around accomplishing things?  Maybe these are all good things, things that often make you happier, but most likely, they also stress you out.  So there's good reason to take a break every once in a while.  Realize that in the end, no one is telling you to do these things.

You are under no obligation from the world to improve yourself.  Improving yourself is going to help...yourself.  So take it slow, and remember that sometimes 'doing nothing' is a step forward too.

- still life is art too - 

Love you guys!
- Caroline

What have you been trying to do lately?  Do you ever celebrate your progress for more than a moment?  (Who caught the Dear Evan Hansen reference?)