In Others' Words: Give and Take

"One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it." ~Sidney Howard, American playwright

This is spring break week for my youngest daughter.

And yes, we are having some vacation fun. Sort of.

I am the "sort of " part of the equation.

I have several major deadlines looming. I've learned that deadlines don't budge just because spring break shows up on the calendar — or summer vacation or Thanksgiving or Christmas or your birthday, for that matter.

In a perfect world, I would have planned my deadlines around spring break (and every other holiday). But that's not real life.

Which brings me back to our "sort of" vacation fun — and to this quote. I know what I want: I want to meet my deadlines and I want to turn in my best work. And, yes, I also want to see my family some on spring break.

Right now, deadlines trump family.

I'm thankful my husband and kids understand that, while they are my ultimate #1 priority, they are not the #1 priority this week. They're giving me huge amounts of grace this week — and lots of focused writing and rewriting time.

In Your Words: What have you had to give up to accomplish your goals? Any words from the wise on balancing competing priorities?

 

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