How to Know When a Good Thing Isn’t Really a Good Thing – Inspirational Reads Chapter 6
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When it comes to breaking the busy in our lives, I think it is very easy to mindlessly overload ourselves without intending to. So many of the things we take on we may not really take on if we took the time to really give these things the thought they deserve. There are also times that we allow others to overload our schedules or even guilt us into doing something that we would rather say no to.
Sometimes it can be hard to recognize when a good thing is no longer a good thing. Interestingly, as I have focused on scaling back in my own life over the past few years there are things that really clue me in to what is a good thing and what really isn’t. I have found things that seem to commonly appear when things are not a blessing in my life, or, when they really are anything but.
There are also times that things used to be a blessing in our lives but no longer are. Things change, seasons change, and the demands that we can meet change.
With this in mind, I find that if I have any of these 10 “symptoms,” it could be that a good thing really isn’t a good thing.
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You dread whatever it is as it appears on the horizon
It’s possible that when you took this activity on it was ok, but as it gets closer and closer, you find that you are anything but thrilled about it.
You procrastinate doing anything that the activity or event requires
Because you are dreading this thing, you put off doing whatever needs to be done in order to prepare for it. This could appear in a variety of ways, but if you are putting off working on preparing for this thing, it could be a good indication that this thing isn’t a good thing.
Whenever anyone brings this thing up, it annoys you and you try to change the subject
This is so true for me. When I am dreading something, the last thing I feel like doing is talking about it with someone else. Avoiding this at all costs is generally something that I am guilty of.
You resent any of the people involved
You know how it goes. The person who most likely innocently asked you to take part in this thing now has become the target of frustration on your part. You might be frustrated by them, you might resent them, and you might even mistreat that person. These are things to look for when determining whether something is a good thing or not.
Dealing with this thing affects your physically
Maybe you can feel your blood pressure rise, you might be losing or gaining weight as you try to self soothe with food, or any numbers of other things that could physically affect you in a negative way as this thing draws closer.
It affects your mood and the way you treat yourself or others
Are you uncharacteristically short with yourself or someone else? Judgemental, short on tolerance, or just downright mean? When something affects our mood or our actions in a negative way, it is almost always something that is not a good thing.
Someone you love mentions your sour mood
This is the previous point taken one step further. If people besides yourself are noticing that you are not yourself, this is a pretty good indication that this thing needs to go.
You get ready, prepare for, or leave late the day of this event or activity
Doing your best to avoid this thing, you might do one or all of these things. Ask me how I know about this one…
You feel negative rather than positive in the moment
Everyone else seems to be having a great time, but you aren’t. In fact, there may even have been times that this same thing was something that you totally loved being a part of. However, right now this is not the case.
You feel like a failure in it, even when others compliment you or your work regarding this event or activity
Everything about this thing from start to finish has just been nothing but an issue for you. There is simply nothing anyone else can say that will make you feel any differently about it.
It can be so hard to recognize when a good thing isn’t a good thing – especially when it is something that was a good thing previously. Pay attention to these things when you are looking to evaluate the things in your life. If you find some of these, your good thing just might not be a good thing.
This post is reflection of the book we are reading as a book club community. This is the book we are reading.
Breaking Busy
Here is a bit more about our book club…
This book club is a way of encouraging others to carve out the time to read at a pace of just two chapters a week because I’ve learned that finding time to read never just happens on its own.
Generally, every Monday and Thursday there will be blog posts here with Monday’s Inspirational Reads somewhere in the title with my reaction to each of the two chapters for the week.
All you have to do is grab your book above, and you’re good to go! We’d love to have you join it, otherwise, grab your own copy and read any of the posts with Monday’s Inspirational Reads in the title and you can join in on your own time!
