Balancing Rest with Action - Spring Series #2
Part of Spring: Awakening Series
After renewal comes recalibration. You've spent some time restoring and refreshing ourselves, thawing out from the long Winter. Now you can begin to balance rest with action, passion with practicality. The next month or so is about refining your vision for the year but not yet deciding on a path. Flesh out all the ideas.
REST AND ACTION
This one is difficult. I struggle to marry rest and action. I fall in love with a goal, an idea, or project, sling all my energy into it, and burn out quickly.
You will naturally want to start working towards a goal about which you feel strongly. Instead of throwing all your eggs in one basket (Easter pun intended), take a step back occasionally and reassess the goal/idea/plan. Is this really what I want to focus on? Is there another goal I have for the year that I also want to achieve? What are the major steps I need to take towards this goal? What are the steps to accomplish each of the big steps?
Map your path for multiple long-term, big-picture, year-long goals.
This also reminds you to prioritize your physical and mental rest. Never go too long without a break to recharge. It’s that restoration that will lead to clarity and action later and allow you to maintain a consistent level of action. Remember to focus on what brings *you* happiness, no matter how small or insignificant. Once your cup is full, you can happily help others.
PASSION AND PRACTICALITY
This requires you to look at your goals with an impartial, observational mind. Can I achieve this, or is there something concrete that will prevent it? Is there a goal that I need to accomplish before I can begin this one? Will I have the time to devote to this project? Honesty is crucial for this step. Sometimes you just will not have the time available for that particular goal. Instead of scraping it completely, consider adjusting it.
For example, I had a baby in late 2024. One of my 2025 goals was planting. I wanted a garden, potted herbs, and to landscape around the house. I drew out maps of the planters, picked out all my plants, made timelines of each season’s planting. Once it came to time to physically plant everything, haul dirt, lug planters around and dig up bushes, I quickly realized that I did not have the time or energy to devote to that project. I decided to scale back to one large box planter and a couple of potted herbs on the deck (even that was tough).
So comb through your goals with an impartial eye. Begin to winnow out the ones that won’t work, or you no longer feel drawn towards. Edit as needed. And remember, the balance to excitement is fear - lean into those fearfully exciting goals.
The upcoming Beltane energy of May fires us up to finalize our goals.
