The Real Rat Race
It’s not funny anymore…

We have become the “rat race” we used to joke about, but it’s not very funny anymore. We are so over stimulated and overloaded that we don’t have time to read about, think about, research or respond to all that comes our way each and every day. Like this advertisement I received in the mail:

15 minutes of your time
could save you 15% on your car insurance!

What are you waiting for?

I threw it in the trash. Didn’t even open it. You’ve done the same thing... many times. Or you add it to that huge pile that you’re going to sort through later, but never do. I probably could have saved 15% on my insurance, but I didn’t have fifteen minutes to consider the options. My time is more valuable. In fact, time is the most valuable commodity we have today. Yet no matter how many time-saving devices we invent, we never seem to have enough time. There is always more to do. We can’t keep up, let alone get ahead. Everyone’s spinning out of control. We feel dizzybusy.

Our lives have become dizzybusy for three reasons:

1. Our culture expects us to be good at everything
The 20th century was all about achievement, recognition, wealth and material signs of success. Now we live in a world that judges us by what we accomplish, not by who we are. We want it all. We want to be a good parent, a good spouse, a good sister, a good son, and a good friend — all while we excel at work, volunteer at school, sing in the church choir, keep a beautiful home and coach the soccer team to the championships. It’s just not possible.

2. Technology creates more things for us to do
Technology has become an addiction. We feel compelled to continually check emails, immediately respond to text messages and click on anything that pops up to grab our attention. We feel guilty if we don’t read the newspaper or the magazines that stack up around the house. We’re afraid we might miss something we “need.” Laptops, BlackBerrys and cell phones come with us on vacations so we can stay plugged in to the rat race we left home to avoid.

3. We have too many choices, too many possibilities
A quick search on amazon.com yielded 84,632 books on parenting. There used to be one: Dr. Spock. Parents read the same book and pretty much raised their children the same way. Today, how can anyone possibly decide which book to choose — and trust — when they all say something different? I went to the grocery store to pick up a pain reliever, and I couldn’t believe the choices: 93 to be exact: different brands, strengths, shapes, ailments, and quantities. I found 147 types of toothpaste, 196 shampoos and — you won’t believe this — 310 deodorants. It’s crazy! It takes five minutes to find your favorite, or ten minutes to decide “which one is right for me?” This is what our lives have become – 310 deodorants. Everywhere we turn, everything we do involves too many choices, too much information, and too many opportunities.

Is it any wonder we are overwhelmed?

So, what can we do to compensate for our dizzybusy lifestyles? How can we find, and model for our children, that balance we all desperately need? How do we stay focused on what’s important?

Say NO to today’s dizzybusy lifestyle and get back to the basics of a simple, joyful, meaningful life. It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing less and doing the right things. The happyhome habits are based on the five “protective factors” decades of research has shown families need to be strong, connected and happy. Visit the happyhome club online and join the thousands of families who are experiencing the powerful difference these simple habits can make in their lives. Take part in the life-changing happyhome challenge and earn free products that will enrich your family life at home...because happyhomes don’t just happen.

Lorle Campos, CEO/Founder of Once Upon a Family, is the author of happyhome: a family's guide to finding balance in a dizzybusy world. Take part in the happyhome Challenge to receive free tools and products to enrich your family life at home.