What’s keeping you from Greatness?

“The only thing standing between Greatness and me is me.”

–Woody Allen

Leave it to Woody to state the obvious. But I bet you don’t realize the insidious way countless women (me included) have been keeping ourselves from Achieving Greatness? I call it ATBS–Addicted to Busyness Syndrome.

We women stuff every cranny of our lives with so much activity that we’ve lost touch with what’s really essential and what’s truly irrelevant.

But ask us to lighten our load, actually say no to a task, and we start to panic. As if our world would shatter if we slowed down.  The truth is, we’ve become so controlled by shoulds, oughts, musts, have-tos that we’ve lost sight of what’s honestly important.

As you may know, I’ve spent the last 6 month clearing the clutter from my life. And I’m the first to admit—busyness is a bitch to give up!  Do you know why?  Busyness is the drug of choice for most women.

Without endless activity, we’re left with empty space. And empty space gives rise to painful feelings.  (For me, I felt unproductive, like a failure and a fraud)  Rather than experience the pain, we fill up the spaces. But, as I’ve learned from the last few months, when you stop running from the truth, you start recognizing your power. When you face what you fear, you realize it no longer controls you. When you eliminate the unnecessary, you begin to notice what really matters.

So I ask you….What could you slowly start cutting out of your day?  I’m not telling you to go cold turkey. But I invite you to observe all the needless activities you cram into your life– from constant emailing to extraneous chores.

What if you didn’t load the wash until later in the afternoon? What if you responded to emails only once a day? What if you didn’t answer the phone and instead stared out the window.

Maybe you’ll find what I did. It’s only in stillness that you’ll begin to hear the secrets your soul yearns to share. It’s only in the quiet that you’ll discover the path to Sacred Success™.

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Comments & Feedback

  • Barbara,

    In a previous post about Sacred Success, you said you asked yourself “How do I want to live my life?”and suggested we ask ourselves that. I’ve been doing it, and it’s not an easy question to answer. My first thought was to list all the things I do in my day, but that is really more about busyness, not how I want to live. The list of busyness consumes my waking hours. This post gives me fuel for the contemplation. Thank you.

  • By the way, I read the What is Greatness list first thing when I come into my office in the mornings. It starts my day thinking great. Thank you again! Kristina

  • Meg Charendoff

    Barbara —

    Wow, wow, wow! Thanks so much for this. Some of those “busy” tasks give me a great deal of personal satisfaction and others… not so much. Some I’ve given over to others … but retained a lot of guilt (what does it say about me that I give over my laundry to a housekeeper? That I’m a bad mother? No, only that my kids and I have clean clothes and more time to spend on things that matter!)

  • I LOVE all these responses!!! Stay tuned for my next newsletter…it’s about detoxing from ATBS!!!

    Thanks so much for your comments!! Barbara

  • Thank you so much for all the posts relating to this one, I am going to reference this in my next blog regarding weight management and busyness. Keeping priorities straight and boundaries firm allows us to accomplish things we never imagined…

  • Thanks Kris…I really appreciate your helping spread the word!!!

    It’s interesting…I’ve found that people who have money problems often have weight and/or time issues too….because it’s all about boundaries, or the lack of them. You are so on target. I’d love to see your post when it’s up! Warmly, B

  • Wonderful post Barbara – I have shared it with my expat readers on my own blog. I have found that we are very good at filling the spaces so that we don’t feel lonely or empty…
    gentle and insightful post.
    Marie

  • Thanks so much, Marie…You made my day!!!

  • Okay Ms.Barbara are you looking into my glass ball of life?
    This is to true, so true that I see some sufferinggggggg from that?

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Meet Barbara Huson

When a devastating financial crisis rocked her world, Barbara Huson knew she had to get smart about money… and she did. Now, she wants to empower every women to take charge of their money and take charge of their lives! She’s doing just that with her best-selling books, life changing retreats and private financial coaching.

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