Wit Meets Grit - Rolling up our sleeves and having fun.
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Publications and Projects
    • Accolades
  • Consulting + Project Management
    • Organizational Management + Evaluation
    • Facilitation + Meeting Support
    • Food + Farming Projects
  • Public Speaking
  • Photography
  • Stories from the Field
    • Food + Farming
    • Life + Love
    • Health + Wellness
Home
About
    About
    Publications and Projects
    Accolades
Consulting + Project Management
    Organizational Management + Evaluation
    Facilitation + Meeting Support
    Food + Farming Projects
Public Speaking
Photography
Stories from the Field
    Food + Farming
    Life + Love
    Health + Wellness
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Publications and Projects
    • Accolades
  • Consulting + Project Management
    • Organizational Management + Evaluation
    • Facilitation + Meeting Support
    • Food + Farming Projects
  • Public Speaking
  • Photography
  • Stories from the Field
    • Food + Farming
    • Life + Love
    • Health + Wellness
Wit Meets Grit - Rolling up our sleeves and having fun.
Life & Love, live your dreams, Uncategorized

Busy Bee.

So much to do, so little time. We all experience it- the feeling that there is never enough time. We vow to “make more time” for ourselves, our families, our community. The trouble is, we inevitably become caught up in the daily routine and focus our energy on the immediate demands. As Tim Kreider with NY Times so aptly described, many of us fall into the “Busy-Trap”. 
As someone that loves their job, it is easy to work all the time, especially when a perceived sense of urgency exists. I often convince myself that if I just reach _____ (insert any number of goals here) that I will take a break- which of course simply results in myself constantly pushing towards new goals and deadlines. For those of us that must be “on” and social for our jobs, there is often little juice left for friends and family- something I really struggle with. 
The challenge comes in recognizing your own personal limitations, letting go of the need to be everything to everyone all the time, and knowing when and how to say “no”. In a society that rewards those that push themselves to the limit, this is a challenge because you generally do not receive awards for calling your mother regularly, leaving work at 5, and making time for family dinner. This rings especially true in Charleston, a city of overachievers. I was lucky enough to be honored in two publications this spring as one of these individuals (see pictures below from Charlie Magazine and Charleston Regional Business Journal). 

Reading about my fellow awardees resulted in a odd mix of inspiration, pride, and self-depreciation. There are so many amazing people doing incredible things that it inevitably makes you feel like you should be doing more. I guess that is the curse of being an overachiever- always feeling like there is more we can achieve as individuals. The passion that I have for my job tends to absorb so much of energy that I end up reaching my work goals while those I have set in my personal life tend to be neglected. Yet, as I sat waiting to receive my award for 40 under 40, I quickly realized that this is a pattern of behavior experienced by many of my fellow diagnosed overachievers. When I teased the awardee sitting next to me at the ceremony for checking his watch, he admitted that he felt guilty for once again missing a night spent with his new baby. 
With this in mind, I propose a new set of awards. Awards that acknowledge the parts of our lives often over-looked, the unsung heroes, the people that give themselves everyday without thought of awards, paychecks, or publications. I want to win an award for the best letter writer, amazing pet owner, the most fun partner, the most generous gardener, the most often to call/email/text family member.  
Here is to winning at life. 

May 30, 2013by Nikki
FacebookTwitterPinterestGoogle +Stumbleupon
live your dreams

The writing on the wall.

With only two posts up I have already been getting some feedback from friends and family, which is very encouraging. As someone that tries very hard to be positive and find the humor in any situation, publishing a blog about some of the darker parts of my life make me feel a little vulnerable and perhaps a bit like I have failed in some way. Yet after hitting the submit button I let go of a piece of my burden and it is very freeing (and apparently comforting to some of you out there facing the same challenges).

While I have been able to deal with the tide of bad events that often comes to shore, I have found that the challenges have started to create a flood that has consumed the horizon. As a very goal oriented person, not knowing what is “coming next” makes me feel like I am losing control, which in turn totally freaks me out. So, maybe I am a little bit of a control freak… but aren’t we all? For so many people out there, knowing what they want to do is the problem. I have NEVER had that problem. I have at some point wanted to be a: vet, inventor, scientist, sailor, athlete, marine biologist, artist, actor, writer, politician, activist, professor, reporter/journalist, executive director, farmer, professional tree house builder, entrepreneur, dog trainer, researcher, and photographer. Considering I starting “working” long before legally able , I have actually held or experienced most of these positions. My issue is that my interests are so broad that focusing my energy has always been a challenge. I want to do it all. Did I mention that I am an overachiever? As my dear friend Cedric put in his comment to my blog: “Nikki, you have too many talents to boil them down into a “job”.”

The point I am at now is figuring out which path I should take and then figuring out how the hell I plan on getting there… quite literally… since I still only have a bike. At this point I am trying to take my own advice (from the younger, less jaded me), which is found on my bedroom wall:


In the mean time, I will continue to make the best of my current jobs and try to save up some money in case I pull a Jerry McGuire, write a mission statement, and walk out with the office fish. 🙂

February 4, 2010by Nikki
FacebookTwitterPinterestGoogle +Stumbleupon

Get in touch!

Nikki@WitMeetsGrit.Com

Eye Candy

Follow on Instagram

The word on the tweet.

Tweets by @Wit_Meets_Grit

Social Media

RSS Wit + Grit Blog

  • Returning to our roots: The evolution of buying local.
  • Cultivating Connections: Building a strong food system from farm to table.
  • Untitled
  • FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Reducing the ripple effect of COVID-19 on the food system.
  • FarmHER: How women are shaping the South Carolina food system

Tags

agriculture arkansas azores Charleston charleston flood coronavirus covid19 dairy disaster dripping springs garden eat local farmers farmHER farming farmtotable farm to table foodcrisis food hubs food system food system network food systems grass-fed growing local sc growing local south carolina Hurricane Florence Hurricane Preparedness institutional racism local local farming localfood local food lowcountry local first mark cain nonprofit portugal racism resilience resources servant leadership social justice South Carolina southern terceira virus women

Archives

  • December 2022
  • October 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2020
  • July 2019
  • January 2019
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • July 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • June 2014
  • April 2014
  • February 2014
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • October 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • March 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." Helen Keller

© 2016 copyright WIT MEETS GRIT // All rights reserved //