Comments on: The Gratification of Busy-ness

By: Andrew Pelt

Andrew Pelt — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 07:21:46 +0000

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By: Yu

Yu — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 15:42:35 +0000

Dear Brooke, thank you for sharing this. I cannot agree more. I have lived very busy some years of frequent travels and long hours of work. It brought me a ‘success’ in terms of social recognition and financial rewards, but not calmness and peace in mind. I realized a big (financial) success does not mean much if I do not have small success at home; having time and energy to cook for myself and loved ones, keeping my temple (home) clean and tidy, and having fun with friends. These personal activities keep me grounded and balanced…

The challenge is that we do need to pay our bills while we pursuit our dream life, and that the world is full of busy people who admire business. I think it takes strong faith to follow our inner voice and let go of fear for not being busy.

Calmness and peace of mind will be attained if we are free from our plans and ambitions. I have one day or half-day a week free from everyone/everything. I spend time only for myself without plans/phones. Such a mini-retreat will get me grounded and inspired again.

Love,
Yu

By: Lisa Lizarraga

Lisa Lizarraga — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 13:59:55 +0000

I think i am finally in the perfect place in my life. I have the things and loved ones i want surrounding me and i am pursuing my passions on a daily basis. I love a simple life filled with what fills the soul, i am such a fortunate person. Gratitude is mine everyday. I wish this feeling for you all.

By: Tara Eveland

Tara Eveland — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 20:39:16 +0000

I just now had the chance to read this post, I was BUSY this weekend, but not in the ‘usual’ way my family remembers of last year. BUSY on the weekends for me has meant for the last 2 years, taking studio work and spending 8-12 hours a day in studio or office, all weekend long, working on other families shoots.
Not that I don’t love that, but I told my family, and myself, when I embarked on my inspiration journey as I call it, that I was going to spend 2014 being less ‘busy’. So, I’ve limited myself to 2 clients a MONTH now, and this past weekend was spent out of town at a childrens museum, a mall, the park, and all with MY family. It was just awesome.
I am so happy you are the one that inspired this journey of mine, I am so happy to be shooting ‘stock’ after ‘stock’ in my studio that is for my own use. My daughter is loving it as she is my model for most of my new series ‘cracks’, and I am also teaching her some photography along the way. We also cleaned and rearranged the studio to better suit MY goals for this year and what I want to shoot.
I am only into January and praying every night that I am the winner of the essay contest and given help and a spot to come to your creative live class and that chance to spend time picking your brain and just talking with you, getting to know you from more than just a computer, or a webcast (which was awesome of you and lyndsy to do by the way, the interaction personally was something I really enjoyed! and laughed when you almost blew away at the end)
But yes, I can totally relate to this post. Last year I was always on Facebook updating my clients on the ‘lineup’ of edits, when the custom albums would be done, constantly marketing myself and trying to get referrals, and the relief from that and the joy in creating for myself is so amazing.
so im busy making memories with my children this year, and busy on my inspiration journey 🙂 lovin it! best wishes as always God bless you, and please slow down girl! I really want to meet you but it cant be healthy with the schedule you’re keeping!

By: Crackle

Crackle — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 18:39:29 +0000

Ahhh ms ancient soul in young physical form! You have found the golden bullet!! Nail on the head. The retreat home to Nz last year gave me peace and space the lifestyle here in the USA is definitely driven by the focus of productive over contemplative I find. Rush rish means busy means productive and contributing. As this has seeped back into our lives I am craving the peace, famy time and creative thoughts I began to feel returning. A renewal of energy and inspiration can only happen for me when I carve this space back out and it’s harder and harder when I look at the list of have tos and need tos so what I do is literally this year I blocking off time for peace. I block out time for family and I am getting up thirty minutes earlier to have time to write.
Thank you for so clearly expressing thoughts that I share. Love your light and I believe your year will be richer in all the important things for pursuing this. And from that you will find the financial coffers fuller as your soul will be to xox

By: Ashley

Ashley — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 09:09:36 +0000

I am a very busy person, but sadly it’s a busy in a way I feel is not good for me. Instead of being busy working on my passions, making my life what I want it to be, and spending it with the people I love; my life is filled with rushing around a job I sometimes enjoy and bills I can not afford. This year I wish to change my hectic busy into a busy for me.

By: Tell a Story | Decent Exposure

Tell a Story | Decent Exposure — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 01:33:51 +0000

[…] Less lawn mowing, more adventures. Metaphorically and literally. See Brooke Shaden’s recent blog on busy-ness. Don’ confuse being busy with accomplishing anything worthwhile. I have a theory that every […]

By: Joshua Pheneger

Joshua Pheneger — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 15:38:28 +0000

I feel as though the world is a monster who feeds on my free time, devouring every second that I can spare towards furthering my art.

It is extremely frustrating to only want to create beautiful images, yet get bogged down with the details of what needs to be done at work, what needs to be made for dinner, when were the bathrooms last cleaned, where do I need to be and when, and for whom?

Yet when I do have those spare moments I tend to waste them. I hide behind my fears, I make excuses, I lie to myself and say that I can’t do it alone. I think I make myself busy on purpose, so I have more time to avoid the things that scare me. Yet another thing that I need more time to change.

By: Michelle Baisa

Michelle Baisa — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 14:50:07 +0000

You always make me think, Brooke. I love that. I, too, am busy. I make myself busier than I need to be. I have what I think is often that wife/mother’s idea that I must get everything on my to-do list done. Today. That, unfortunately, often bumps out my creative time. One of my goals this year is to NOT allow my creativity to be pushed to the back burner. I absolutely need to balance the things important to me and that includes my photography. It gives me joy which I know will invade the other areas of my life making living ALL of it that much more wonderful!

By: Beata Rydén

Beata Rydén — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 12:29:36 +0000

I can just say that I´m thinking a lot about balance this year. My main goal is to find balance during this year. Not working too much or too little, but finding the perfect balance between work, social time, alone time, exercise, rest and so on. I hope that I will make it 🙂