Balance Archives - Catherine Hughes

April 21, 2022

Progress

Progress requires the courage to take a step towards your goal.

We tend to overthink our goals. Thinking we need a grand gesture. The go big or stay home mindset.

But the journey starts with the first baby step. The very first step will enact the force of momentum.

Momentum is a part of physics. According to Newton ;

“An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force.”

Start the motion today.

Take the first step today. Make the second step tomorrow. Slowly, keep moving forward.

Each day moves forward in your journey. A journey you have the choice to direct or be directed by outside forces.

Choose and move forward.

The daily choice to take the next step is the only thing you need to make progress.

It is all up to you.

April 20, 2022

Everyday Decisions

It is the everyday decisions that create our lives.

The decision to run in the morning or to hit the snooze button.

The choice to connect with your parents, children, or friends through a call instead of posting on social media.

The decision to eat an apple instead of a donut.

The decision to attend your child’s sporting event instead of continuing to work on a project.

Each choice you make each day makes you a better or worse version of yourself.

The results of your everyday decisions may take years to be seen. But the effects of your choices will show up through improved physical, mental and spiritual health. Or declining health, relationships, and life.

Which one choice today are you willing to make for a better future version of yourself?

April 16, 2022

Show Up

Show up

Do the thing you want to do.

Show up for yourself. You don’t have to do it for anyone but you. You may think you can put it off. And honestly, you could put it off, and no one but you would know.

You need to do it.

Show up.

Simple.

Simple, but not easy.

July 9, 2021

Mid-Year Review

When I worked for a company, we did a mid-year review and a final review each year. The mid-year was done with your boss to make sure you were on track to meet standards for the year. In essence, so there would be no surprises as your final review.

It was the final review where what you accomplished was compared to the goals set by myself and my boss at the beginning of the year. Was everything accomplished? Did you go above and beyond what was expected? Did you not meet standards in an area? If so, there were systems put in place to help you meet standards the following year.

Because a review at mid-year was completed, the one at year-end wasn’t supposed to have surprises. It often did. When I stopped working for a company, I was grateful to never have to go through this process again. And I am certain my boss was just as glad to never have to give me another review.

The thing with the review process is it keeps you on track.

Continue reading “Mid-Year Review”

July 5, 2021July 5, 2021

What a difference a year makes

What a difference a year makes!

This weekend I was the last person up to the cottage for the July 4th weekend. Pulling up to the driveway I discovered, there were already six cars parked there, along the road, and at the neighbor’s house.

Walking into the cottage, I could see the boat and sea doo were gone. The family was already at the sand bar enjoying a beautiful Saturday.

The cottage floors were strewn with shoes and towels. The kitchen was filled with dishes. I had no idea where the three cats were. There were suitcases and duffles all over the place.

Generally, things which would make me mad, but made me smile! What a difference a year makes!

I took a walk down the street and noticed mine was not the only house overflowing with cars and campers. It was the rare driveway that was empty. People were ready to enjoy the long weekend.

And the homeowners were entertaining again!

Yesterday, back to the sandbar! The best way to enjoy a sunny 90-degree day. I have to say, in our 20 years of living here, I have never seen so many people there.

What’s more, the people were smiling. And I could see their smiling faces! There were volleyball games, tons of people floating on rafts, and I may have spotted a beer pong game or too.

This morning I went back out for a walk. The driveways are slowly emptying out. My driveway is down to four cars.

Friends have headed back home, and two of my kids have headed back to their lives.

There is a bit of me that is sad. Which is a normal feeling when the house empties out.

But honestly, I am so blessed I have a place they want to spend their time off. I am grateful they chose to spend their time with me. I have great kids, and they have great friends. This weekend has reminded me of just how blessed I am.

Of course, this does not mean I won’t shed a tear or two while I track my kids back to their new homes. It just means I know just how lucky I am to have spent some part of their long weekend with them.

And that is the difference between this year and last year. Last year I was heartbroken to see my son head off to boot camp. Like ugly cry sad. This year I know how blessed I am when I get to see him. (I may still shed a tear though.)

May you also see the blessings in your lives, even when they make you sad.

January 4, 2021January 4, 2021

Overwhelmed

I think the underlying feeling I have had over the past year has been overwhelmed. I have been overwhelmed with guilt, exhaustion, grief, tiredness, sadness. As a result, I have all but shut down.

As I started to dig my way out from all the negative and refocus, something new would bring me back down.

Moving onto my blank slate of 2021, I have a few tools I will use to get past this. Because, to be honest, most of what happened in the past year is still happening now.

So here is my plan to get back to feeling more like me: Continue reading “Overwhelmed”

January 3, 2021January 3, 2021

The Daily Edit

Journalists who wrote for newspapers knew everything about the daily edit. They submitted their articles, went to an editor, and made changes, deletions, and corrections. It was a daily edit of their work.

In school, our teachers had us write drafts of papers. We turned them in; she/he used a red pen and marked them up. Spelling errors, grammatical errors, ideas that needed to be expanded upon or removed entirely were all marked in red. Sometimes, it was a complete restart from one draft to the next. (Just me??) Continue reading “The Daily Edit”

January 2, 2021January 2, 2021

Creating Space

There is something invigorating about creating space. The calendar’s flip to a new year creates all sorts of space or the illusion of it. Pulling down the Christmas decorations creates new space in our homes.

This new space fills our soul with a sense of optimism. Or maybe a need to refill the space with something new.

I find I am more creative when the slate is clean. My desk is cleared off—the areas within my eye-sight with nothing out of order.

Maybe this is why I hadn’t been creating recently. My outer and inner spaces were filled with stuff. Continue reading “Creating Space”

December 28, 2020December 28, 2020

Hitting the Reset Button

I have had a hard time hitting the reset button. It is easy in so many ways to stop a downward spiral; you just need to stop and restart. Hit the reset button, so to speak.

Yet, December, or maybe most of 2020, has been a bit of a wash. I mean, the year started out well. There was a bit traction in my business. I met with artists, had positive responses to emails, had conferences scheduled, and then everything was canceled. Continue reading “Hitting the Reset Button”

December 3, 2020

The Undone

My list of all of the undone stuff is overwhelming. And what is worse, most of the undone tasks don’t even make it to the to-do list anymore!

It’s strange how there always seems to be something I just don’t want to do. It may be something I perceive to be hard; it may be something unpleasant. But mostly, it is just stuff I am procrastinating doing. Continue reading “The Undone”