Every Me
With the pace that most of us live at nowadays, I know that we often feel pulled in many directions at once. The demands for our time seem relentless, even if they are demands for good things that we have chosen. Add to the mix the demands that are exerted by different aspects of personal needs and desires and you can end up with a lot of conflict. It is as though every aspect of our personalities, physical, mental, spiritual, and others, are like children each wanting to take the forefront and get all the attention.
In my case, every me wants all my time. The physical me wants to make sure I walk every morning, never having to miss because of early appointments. The physical me wants to work out regularly, take swimming lessons, learn to dance, eat healthy food conscientiously and be slim and fit. This me wants to avoid eating on the run, to avoid junk food eaten in the car, and get plenty of restorative sleep.
The mental me wants to go back to school, to learn new things, to read a lot. In fact, this me wants to read so much, she forgets to eat. She wants to write a lot of books, get lost in new ideas, and explore strange and wonderful situations.
The spiritual me wants to spend her days in prayer, meditation, Bible and other reading, in contemplation and peaceful surroundings. This me wants to experience and understand the deep things of life and to know God intimately.
There is the business me that wants to create a fabulous business, touch people's lives and make money. But running a business, and doing a spectacular job of it, involves so many steps, a lot of work, a continuous learning curve and great deal of time. This business me wants things to happen smoothly and easily, but they often don't cooperate.
Then there is the glamorous me. She wants to indulge herself, do her hair, experiment with makeup, savour long baths, dress well, and buy lots of shoes. A successful wardrobe doesn't just happen; it requires planning, coordination and shopping. This me would love nothing better.
And what about the writer me? She's pretty quiet, but for her to come out and play (or work) she must have silence, solitude and time. The artist me needs that, too. She needs to plan, practice, look, see, imagine and work. Creative work requires a lot of staring out of windows and dreaming up concepts. This kind of work never looks like work, but the creative work cannot be accomplished any other way.
All of these "mes" (plural of 'me')want to travel, see new places, try new experiences, acquire new skills.
With all these needs and desires vying for attention, and all their wishes, requests, requirements, and demandscrowding into one me, well, sometimes I get tired just thinking about it all.
How can there be so many needs and desires in one me? How can I listen to all these voices saying, "Me first," "No, me first," and hope to make them all happy?
What has to happen is that when one me takes the stage, I must insist that the rest sit down and be quiet. They usually aren't particularly obedient, though. They continue to want to all talk at once. They keep jumping up, demanding attention. Sometimes they will get it, too.
All of my "mes" are easily distracted, so when the artist me demands the floor while the business me has it, I feel compelled to stop what I'm doing and answer the artist's call. The artist is subject to flashes of inspiration, which must be captured the moment they are revealed.
Sometimes the solution is as simple as jotting down a quick idea in my sketchbook before it gets away, while other times that artist me takes the rest of my day. She can be pretty insistent.
To be clear, please understand that I don't have multiple personality disorder. I just have a very busy imagination, a lot of abilities in several fields, and too many interests to pursue at once. The answer to dealing with these demands is to know the voice of the real me, the me of the heart.
When all those other voices become too loud, I know what I really need to do is stop and listen to my heart for the whisper that is speaking there. I calm the rambunctious thoughts racing through my busy brain and take a deep breath, get quiet, sit still and really listen. The voice in my heart will always lead me to what is best.
Or I go lie on the sofa for a while and watch TV. But that's another me.
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Wendy Dewar Hughes, inspiration for the Art of life, love and lusciousness, publishes the Luscious E-letter filled with fun and practical ideas to make your life more luscious. If you are ready to be inspired to dream, believe and live a more luscious, creative life, go to www.wendydewarhughes.com for more, plus your FREE gift.
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