By AMY FREESE
DesignHer Living
Maybe you’re a little like me in that once you finally embrace the reality of alarm clock setting  and school bells ringing, you get a little giddy-girl thrill dreaming about the ‘bonus’ hours you’ll be awarded once you complete the school lunch assembling.

‘Bonus’ hours, lunches assembled or not, are our reward every day but the real bonus comes only after we choose to use them well.   If I sneaked a peek at your smart phone planner, what would your bonus reveal?

 Choosing well is relative and unique to each person but have you ever experienced a day or a week when you could barely remember what took place or what you did? Do you find yourself starting your day already overwhelmed before your feet hit the floor or find yourself complaining about the same old’ same old’?  And what about those activities you willingly signed up for that are now a thorn in your side? 

Maybe today is the perfect time to ask yourself if you’re going to live those hours as if you won a bonus or a booby prize.

If we’re not careful with our choices, the frenzied state of living can become our new normal all too quick.  Living in a frenzied or flourishing state is truly up to us and the choices we make. What if we began to handle those choices with loving care and make our decisions based on our priorities, what we value, and the goals we want to achieve?

When I’m busy doing things that I don’t really want to do, I feel anxious, overwhelmed, and on the verge of burn out. But when I’m busy doing things that line up with my priorities, values, passions, and goals, my life hums to a sweet, chaotically calm cadence.

So what do you say, isn’t the start of a new school year the perfect time to decide what you want your life to reflect?   If you don’t choose now, someone else will do it for you.  If you want to sign your name to every volunteer list at school and around town, then go for it but do it with gusto and no regrets. If, on the other hand, you find yourself feeling strong armed into signing on the dotted line, breathe and politely say no.  

Before saying yes or no to anything, you must first ask yourself if your reply will help or hinder you reflect your priorities and reach your goals.

 This year let your yes be a YES and your no be a NO and keep in mind neither has to be for forever.

As our schools like to teach and parents like to preach, ‘begin this school year with the end in mind’ and as I like to say, ‘embrace the bonus and choose well.’

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Amy Freese is a professional life coach, motivational speaker and Brentwood mom. Contact her at amy@freeser.net or visit her website at www.amyfreese.com.