The term “catching up” is used in so many different ways. In a race, we try to catch up with the leader. We really want to catch up with old friends or former clients. After holidays and vacations, we try to catch up with our tasks and responsibilities at work and at home. In November, we hope to catch up with the hour we lost this month with the Spring time change.

Each of these can be stress-inducing. The long To Do list can keep you at your desk for long hours. We feel really guilty when we haven’t kept up with friends. Guilt or worrying about losing can occur when we haven’t caught up with clients or business colleagues.

Is it the same?

Is catching up with friends and colleagues or with our To-Do list the same as catching up with the leader in a race? When I finish a long-running To Do list, I know that I feel like a winner. It’s a major accomplishment. When I catch up with someone I haven’t seen or talked with in a long while, I feel a great sense of joy. I guess I feel a bit of guilt relief, too, if I’m honest.

Most Important

Experts will tell us it’s all about priorities and doing things one step at a time. Focus helps, too, as does being organized. That’s easier said than done, yet, it’s true. Realizing we can’t do all we want to do is hard. Finding a way to balance our life is challenging.

Choices are the key. It boils down to what is most important. Not solely what is most important on that list that’s never-ending, but what is most important to our inner selves? What can make us feel joyful, accomplished, and successful?

What are you catching up with? What have you recently caught up with? Did it make you feel like a winner? Did it bring a huge sigh of relief? Did you feel a sense of accomplishment? What choices did you make to get there? Did you consider what was most important and why?