This one is for all my fellow busybodies--those of us who learned, somewhere along the way, that being busy = being successful, or important, or worthy, or good. I think that many of us picked this up over the years, and I'm not exactly sure where it came from, but this concept is here and I don't see it going anywhere--especially in this time of constant connection. A lot of me feels that the "glorification of busy" is a more prevalent mindset among women, but I definitely don't think that it's limited to just women anymore (and men, please correct me if I'm way off here or if it's been around for men for quite a while, too!).
"Busy" has become the standard reply to many questions, like "How are you?" or "How is work going?" or, "How was your day?" or even, sometimes, "How was your vacation?" And I totally agree with the quote above, that for some reason, as a society, we have glorified busy. It's not enough anymore to work full-time, exercise daily, attend events, volunteer, socialize, eat healthy, and pursue a relationship (or date)/plan a wedding/have kids/have pets, etc. You should also have an online presence, travel, work overtime, cook healthy food at home, post pictures of everything you do online, buy a place and decorate it perfectly, pursue all of your other passions, and leave time to get your hair cut, go to the dentist, clean you house, do laundry, and shave your legs. I'm exhausted just writing about it. So what gives? I recently read an article in the NYT Magazine called "The Island Where People Forget to Die," about a Greek island called Ikaria, where the inhabitants have an extraordinary longevity rate. The article explores a number of reasons why this might be the case for Ikaria and other similar communities, focusing on how their lifestyles differ from American lifestyles, but what I was most struck by was the fact that the people on Ikaria don't lead busy lives. In fact, they glorify the opposite of busy! Most don't wear watches, 84% of men and 67% of women there nap daily (daily!!), they stay up late to socialize, sleep in late, tend to their vegetable gardens during the day, and enjoy a slower-paced life. It seems that Ikaria's residents have decided to glorify living and enjoying life as opposed to hurrying through it, and it has paid off in their health and given them more time to enjoy their experience on Earth. It's a fascinating article and I highly recommend that you read it. It made me want to move there. So, here's my question for you--how do you contribute to the "glorification" of busy? How could you make small changes in how you interact with others, and how you live your life, to begin to downplay the significance of always running from one thing to the next? Could you take a nap on the weekend and glorify that moment, instead? Could you stay up late on a weekday drinking wine + chatting with a friend (crazy, I know!), and then call into work so you can sleep until 11am, just because? Can you cancel an unnecessary meeting or appointment and use that time to sit on a bench in a park with a good book? I know that I have contributed to this phenomenon, and I'm making a promise here today that I'm going to make a very conscious effort to stop the glorification of busy. Wish me luck. Namaste! Mary Catherine
I so agree MaryCatherine! My husband and I talk about this all the time - saying your busy is an easy excuse, but we all have the same amount of hours in a day, its how we *choose* to use the hours. Those on the island of Ikaria are choosing to use their hours in a different way - now, I'm off to read the article and be inspired! 11/21/2012 07:23:53 pm
Hi Mary Catherine,
Jean
8/12/2013 08:15:17 am
Well, if people are constantly "busy," then they don't need to reflect on themselves, their behavior and their health (or the steps they need to take to grow as a person). If someone measures "success" by being "busy" then that tells you a lot about that person. Studying at a university where students fight tooth and nail for internships, leadership positions and so on, I feel like I'm constantly resisting a sea of busyness in order to take my time on things. I'm made to feel guilty about it too, not scheduling every hour of my time, and sometimes it does make me feel good to be really busy or "productive." Still, I'm very glad that I make a commitment to not being over-committed.
Jean
8/12/2013 08:08:42 am
I really enjoy this saying, actually, and it makes me think of some of the work and money obsessed in-laws that I have, and how they automatically devalue anyone who takes time to reflect and ruminate on life. Needless to say, I don't have much in common with these people and they are coincidentally pretty toxic, unhappy and unhealthy people!
J forbes
3/7/2015 04:03:49 pm
Hey being busy makes you successful it is good for your mind keep plugging and keep busy and you will be successful who is this Mary gal is she a movie director or a millionaire I DOUBT IT !!!' No way
Happiness is often found in simple pleasures. I was feeling quite bad lately because people kept asking me what plans I had for my son in the summer. I kept saying oh just bits and pieces but the truth is I hadn't planned anything? I didn't realise I had to, what's wrong with just living from day today, enjoying your own surroundings and each others company? Thanks for making me feel less guilty! ;)
Leah
9/10/2014 04:59:05 pm
Just stumbled across this & adore it!
Ruth Roadnight
10/22/2014 03:54:24 am
Hi Mary Catherine,
Mary Catherine
10/22/2014 10:50:15 pm
So sorry, Ruth, but I don't own this image and don't know who does! I used it back before I knew you weren't supposed to use images like this on your blog ;) Good luck finding it! Sounds like a beautiful book that you're putting together.
Jforbes
2/26/2015 11:51:49 pm
I lilke being busy and I like being successful! You should make the most of your life being famous is great but most of us do not know how to get there BUT BLESS THE ONES WHO DO ! THEY ARE GIFTED IN MARKETING THEMSELES THAT IS A GIFT NOT EVERYONE HAS. NOTHING IS WORSE THAN A BORING UNPRODUCTIVE LIFE ! Comments are closed.
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HELLO!I'm Mary Catherine, a Cape Cod-based yoga teacher, painter, designer, writer, mom, and list-maker extraordinaire. My goal is to inspire you to start living a more creative, simple, joyful, + purposeful life.
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