Empty Well

Working at the temple is such an amazing experience. Talking with the other workers is so neat. On Saturday, one of the other sisters and I were talking about how important it is not to stretch ourselves to far. She told me that she was giving a presentation on this topic on Wednesday and invited me to attend. It was meant to be, because everything that I thought I had, did not happen. Can I just say this was one amazing, amazing presentation. It was titled, "How Can I Lengthen My Stride When I'm Already Doing the Splits". Here are some things that stood out to me.

Two words answer this question perfectly. "You Can't!"

As women, many time, we feel like we need to do everything for everyone and there is no way things will get done if we don't do them. We have been blessed with compassionate hearts. We are constantly giving water from our well. Sometimes we are so busy giving that water, that the well never gets replenished or there is no water when we need some. This is called the "empty-well syndrome". I have felt this the past couple of weeks. It was so nice to have energy again, but with that energy, (I felt) came responsibilities. I began to hand out water from my well because I had a lot of time to make up. Well, my well isn't completely empty, but it is getting there and I can tell.

How can we resolve this. First, we need to maintain a balance. Overdoing one area of life (physical, emotional, etc.) creates imbalance in the other areas that are just as important. Second, we need to learn to say "no" and not feel guilty. This is so stinking hard. As part of a local organization, I have not been doing much even though one of our biggest fundraisers is coming up, because I couldn't. Not only am I not pulling my weight, but I feel super-guilty. This is huge. Saying no is liberating, but feeling guilty takes that away. This is a constant fight. Next, make time for what really matters. This isn't saying that everything you do in life isn't important, but some things are more important than others. Focus on the most important. Last, remember that you will never be caught up because there will always be more to do.

I left this presentation feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off of me. It brought light to some of the questions that I have had. Seriously, I am a people pleaser and treat others how I want to be treated, but sometimes, I need to treat myself that same way and actually allow others to treat me that way. Easier said then done. That doesn't mean that I will stop serving or being involved. It just means that now I will evaluate everything I have to do, and do what is the most important and not worry about the smaller things.