“There isn’t enough time in a day.”  I never thought that would ever come out of my mouth. After my children grew up — and in my mind didn’t need me anymore — I woke up every morning and wondered what would I do today?  My options were not a need to do, but a what could I do. It’s a way of life that sounds great to many, but I didn’t do very well with it. In my life no structure meant chaos, depression and alcoholism.

Today my life is filled with things I need to do: feed the horses, clean the barn, clean the house, work on my business, pay some bills, stay healthy.  I am focusing on time management so that I can accomplish all that I want to each day. My personality is such that when I’m cleaning the barn, I get sidetracked and play with the horses or start watering the flowers. The barn chores are left half done and the flowers drenched. With time management I use my time more wisely. Sometimes it means taking a break, assessing what needs to be done, and deciding when to do it. Sometimes I need to stop for a moment and turn to meditation to find balance in my day.

Living one day at a time is my best option. The sky hasn’t fallen yet because I didn’t finish a task I set out to do today; many things can be put off until tomorrow. I love my crazy life now.  I have demands on my time, but they are demands that I have chosen. I picture me spinning plates on a stick: one plate is my relationship with my man, another is my family, another my business, my horses and my sobriety. My goal is to keep all of them spinning, never letting one completely stop. If one starts wobbling, I move to it and get it spinning again. By giving my attention to all parts, not focusing on just one, life stays balanced for me.

I find the more I plan the more people, places and things get in my way. My kids get sick, my horses get hurt, the car won’t start, all ways to make my perfect planned out day busy, crazy.  I don’t need to drink over it today, I don’t need to get mad or yell. I deal one day (neigh) at a time.  I’m not saying that I handle every situation perfectly, but now I have tools that I have learned through my coaching to understand that it’s not always about how much you finish in a day, but that you’re accomplishing something everyday.

On days when I have a good attitude, I can manage my days with more ease.  On those days when I need an attitude adjustment, I go to the horses, they always balance me out.  Horses are such great listeners, they allow us to let go of all our thoughts, without judgment or opinions.  When I deal with my attitude on my own, my day goes astray.  Keeping a positive outlook creates positive results.