Somewhere along the line I absorbed the message that if you aren't suffering, you aren't working hard enough, and if you aren't working hard enough, you aren't worth much.

It's a message I think most have received. I held on to it for quite a long time, and even now it can find its way back into my mind out of sheer habit. But it's not worth it.

The way I see things now, my main priority is being present and bringing peace to my heart. If that's the stone I drop into the lake, then every ripple spreading outward will touch and affect everything else I do, making it better than it would have been if I was living from a place of constant stress.

Thanks, Jenny!