Friday, January 13, 2012

New Year's Resolution: No, No, Yes

Say no to say yes to myself.

I always feel guilt for not saying yes all the time. Helping a co-worker, bringing that dessert to school, coaching a team. Wait a second.

I forget that for three months of the year, I give a lot. I'm a softball coach for young girls. I try to make it fun. I try to make it a learning experience. I try to make it so that they want to play this sport again. I try to make it fair.

And this was harder than I thought.

And it's all worth it. The joy in making a play. In finally making contact with the ball. In getting a hug from a teammate. And, in hearing that they had a great time.

So, to make sure that I have enough of these times, I need to occasionally say "no." I can't do everything. No one can. This year, I need to say "no" more frequently. So that I can have more time for questions, updates on their day, calls with family, time with friends and more sleep for me.

By saying "no" to some smaller things, I think that I can say "yes" to some bigger things, including taking the time to be a coach. Then, there's also the homework, doing my job well, working out, making dinners and everything else that needs to be done. The list gets longer every year, but I don't want it to get shorter.

I just need to learn the balance to make it all worth it.