Being busy is not a competition. No one gets a prize for being the busiest. When we think we are busy all the time, we are creating an artificial illusion about our life.

This year I have decided to make a conscious effort to stop using two tiny little words: hard and busy.

Learning to let these words go is a work-in-progress.  But it is a great new way of interacting with life, and creates a new lens through which to invite, encourage and embrace all of our experiences and interactions.

When we fear something or it seems overwhelming, when are going through or anticipating difficult personal or professional challenges, we call this hard.

The word itself has negative connotations.  It feels heavy and insurmountable.

But it is through the times that push us that we experience our greatest growth and ultimately break through into a place that we didn’t know existed.

 This year I am re-framing the word hard and thinking instead about events, experiences, conversations as being any one or all of:

• Character building

• Becoming more self-aware, compassionate, loving, empathetic, kind

• Developing resilience

• Part of the rich tapestry of life

• Learning & growing opportunities

• Stretching my boundaries

• Reaching higher & deeper than I have ever had to reach before

• Opening the gates to awesome

And busy?

How often do you find yourself saying “I would love to, but I’m too busy”, “yes, I’m good, but busy”.

Busy, busy, busy.

We are all so busy.  In our own different ways, we are all busy.

In the book The Big Leap, author Dr Hendricks talks about a concept of Einstein time – that we are the creators of our own time, and not at the mercy of it. That we get to choose what we do and when we do it, and in doing so, we become truly in charge of our own destiny.

We all have choices, every single one of us.  And we make choices every minute of every day of our lives about what we do with our time, how we to respond to, deal with and react to the circumstances that present.

So yes, there may be lots on, but let’s try not to refer to ourselves as busy.  It is a meaningless, over-used and really annoying word.

Being busy is not a competition. We all know those conversations where we try to out-busy each other. No one gets a prize for being the busiest.  When we think we are busy all the time, we are creating an artificial illusion about our life.

So let’s stop thinking we are so busy and just focus on experiencing the present.

How about we try instead: “I am good, and I am loving this new project I am working on. It is a great exercise in helping me determine my priorities so that I can get everything I want to get done, done.  And how are you?”

Once we become aware of how often we use these words in all of our interactions, we can shift the terminology into a new place, and have a different outlook and experience of our life.

 Are you up for it?  Not too hard?  You aren’t too busy?

Fiona Redding is the founder of Business with Vivacity and Fit for Biz.  You can connect with her here on twitter, here on LinkedIn or follow Business with Vivacity on Facebook here and Fit for Biz on Facebook here.