it's just overkill

a letter to the do-er.

hello, friend. you may wonder why i'm writing to you but, i assure, i have good reason. you see, i am also a do-er. i am a do-er undergoing a lifestyle change and reevaluating my choices and habits. i've recently learned some important information that i feel i must share with you: you cannot do everything and be happy. you cannot do many things and be happy. you cannot even do a handful of things without sacrificing some part of yourself. 'but grace,' you say, 'that's ridiculous. i always do everything and i'm happy. you are lying to me!' i was in your position not too long ago, friend, and what i've learned is that a do-er in the midst of doing is usually unable to see the effect their doing is having on themselves. it is only in times of self-reflection and not doing that we are able to see what parts of ourselves get lost through doing too many things.

there is a fine line between doing things you want to do and doing everything because you find happiness in keeping busy. i am guilty of the latter. in order to distract myself from my own feelings, i sacrificed my sanity, health, and well-being to sit in the light booth in the basement of a studio theater for days on end. was i happy? occasionally, in the short term. reflecting on that time, i see that my late nights and my unfulfilled need to do led me to go too far; i did so much in addition to what was required of me (schoolwork, etc.,) that i had no time to take care of myself. one night, after a long couple of months of non-stop doing, i slept for twelve hours straight. when i woke up the next morning, i felt different. i felt alive, energized, and happy. i realized i hadn't felt this way for some time, and i thought about why. i had been doing too much. it was only after the doing that i was able to look back and figure out what had gone wrong.

my advice to you, my fellow do-er, is this:

don't do everything or a lot of things simultaneously because other people want you to. don't choose to do things so you can avoid something else. do whatever you want to do because you want to do it. do things because you love them. do things that will make you happy. be realistic with yourself and know what you can and can't handle. you only have one self so you should probably take care of it.

yours in doing,
grace

-sidebar: today's title comes from "overkill" by colin hay. no particular reason for this other than the fact that it came up on my iphone thrice today-