2009 – A year of margin
I’ve been thinking alot about what to write as my big “year end blog post” that seems to be what you do when you’re a blogger. And being that I’m a writer on music I should naturally give my summary of things that musically influenced me over the year. But really… that seems to be an awful lot about “me”. Especially when you can just peruse the archives and see all that makes my heart tick.
I was recently asked to describe my 2009 in a single word and I replied back quickly with “Focus”. After giving it some thought, I think that focus just sounded cool and was really just a close second to what I really learned… Margin.
When we write papers and notes we rarely write edge to edge. We were trained to leave a little margin in case we had to come back and make notes, change it or add in something better. 2009 was the year I began saying “No” to a lot of things and being OK where I am in certain places so that I could have more space in my life. I was way too busy and began to slowly find this margin in my time, my money, my marriage, my hobbies, etc…
As a result, I found something amazing. I was able to say “yes” to going on a few more roadtrips to see new bands. I was able to say “yes” to spending a bit more on occasion to go the extra miles. I was able to listen to more music and not feel like I was wasting time. I was able to try my hand at shooting films, which is something I’ve wanted to do but never found time for it. But most of all I was able to love more… love my wife and son more, love my friends better & love music/culture in different ways.
Margin. It’s a good thing to have. It’s hard to get.. but sooo worth it. Take a second and comment with the one word that describes your 2009. I’ll randomly pick someone to give the book below that is really good.
If you’re into it, a few resources I used on my journey were:
– Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time
- Inbox Zero
- Appigo ToDo iPhone app (or really any ToDo List)
- Dave Ramsey we don’t do the full blown thing but budget was key
Endure.
Humbling
Blessed
grownup
Wasted.
(I explain this somewhat in my most recent blog post.)
who got the book???
How about.. you. :)