Last week, my plate felt full to the point of spilling over. Without going into details, I felt like I was drowning in work, family, parenting, volunteer work and more.
I dealt by having a lovely mini meltdown – after a day of service to my clients, daughter, friends and community, I had a few minutes of bawling and babbling to the hubs about how “the reliable people” who do all the little stuff never get recognized and appreciated then whining about how it was so unfair…all of which was pretty nonsensical I am sure. He listened politely and said nothing while I emoted (smart man!). It got me thinking though…
There are reliable people and, well, not-so-reliable people.
My coworkers, my husband, my child, my family, and my friends know that I am reliable without-a-doubt, but it’s a subconscious knowing, and often, the expectation.
It seems that those of us “reliables” are cut less slack. If I chose to not show up to one of my commitments or have to change plans last minute, people seem to be less forgiving. Why? Because that is not normally how “reliables” operate. People expect a lot from reliables. On the flipside, I’ve observed that sometimes people who tend to be less reliable are cut more slack and even sometimes get accolades from others when they do perform.
“When my plate feels full to the point of spilling over…
I try to remember that these are roles that I’ve chosen —
Not out of obligation but out of
PURPOSE, PASSION AND LOVE.”
– Wes Moore
When I get stressed, I stop and remember that I choose what I fulfill in both my personal and professional life.
Instead of dropping the ball, or shirking one or more of my commitments, I choose to step up to the challenge. I choose to take the jobs, the favors and the small roles because I care.
Reliability is not about getting praise or accolades from others. It is built from passion to be your best and give what we can in all aspects of life. I do not expect applause from others when I save a client from a marketing mess or take my neighborhood’s feral cat to the vet (he is now my cat, but that’s another blog post) but it’s about fucking time reliables give ourselves recognition and rewards because we can’t expect others to roll out the red carpet and have award dinners in our honor!
I’m giving a major shout-out to all the reliables out there! Thank you for being reliably reliable.
Treat yourself to a day at the spa or a special pair of shoes… or a vacation….or everything!
Because if you don’t, nobody else will!
