Happy Monday my GOLDEN friend !

Are you sandwiched between competing responsibilities? Raising kids or caring for grandkids while also looking after elderly parents? Juggling a job that seems to trump family time? Running between obligations and wondering if things will ever “get back to normal?”

I totally get it.

I am sandwiched between parents, grandkids, and work. Layer in working on my personal writing projects and taking care of rescue donkeys, I often feel like a thin piece of ham being squished by thick heavy bread.

Last night, I found myself in a fort made my my five-year-old granddaughter, eating lunch and reading books about cats. Each of the five grandkids had made personal tents around a “campfire” in the living room. It was a weekend filled with crafts, snacks, games, movies, popcorn, and my poor stiff muscles letting me know my big 60th birthday is right around the corner! I wouldn’t trade these experiences for the world.

This morning I am in the waiting room of a dentist’s office, waiting on my mom as she undergoes dental surgery. I know this week will be full, caring for her and making sure her pain is managed and that she is able to get enough nutrition each day.

As much as I loved my weekend, I realized (too late) that I needed “transition time” to gear up for a busy week. My margin got a bit squeezed. I planned to use some in-between time to recharge and get my newsletter out, but instead…I cleaned house and washed dishes. 

I need to do a bit more work to create mental, emotional, and tangible space in my life.

As I closed my eyes to sleep, I worked through the GOLD framework. Its power lies in the way it can be applied to nearly every single situation. I will hang my hat on this framework for the rest of my life.

Give yourself permission to define what your needs are. 

Do you, (like me) struggle to complete this sentence: “I need ________________.”

I need transition time. I need pockets of space to regroup.

What do you need? Have you given yourself permission to express what you need?

Explore the reasons that make it difficult to express your needs. 

I was raised to be accommodating. Kind. Demure. Supportive. Acquiescing. 

Hey, good Christian ladies are selfless, right? :)

Nothing wrong with being selfless, but it can become a hindrance to joy when taken too far. 

How about you? How does your upbringing/past/present affect your ability to express yourself?  What fears keep you from being honest and clear about what you need?

Practice expressing your need. Write it out, say it aloud. If it’s been awhile, you might find anger seeping out around the edges. Sometimes we are mad that others “can’t figure out” what we need or want.

It’s good to remember that no one can read our minds, and that until we can articulate a need, it cannot be met.

If you’ve been putting off telling someone what you need, now is the time to do it. You can blame it on me.

Examples:

I need time to journal.

I need you to get up with the baby.

I need time alone.

I need time with other people.

I need to see a doctor.

I need help.

I need you to listen.

I need _______________.

It isn’t always easy to acknowledge and express personal needs, especially those that might seem insignificant. But sometimes, it’s the little things that make a big difference. 

Learning to acknowledge what is important to you is a critical step in pursuing a life of excellence and meaning—something we all aspire to!

So, have a wonderful week, fellow sandwichies! Let’s keep applying GOLD and keep on transforming into what we are meant to be.

With love, 

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