Emily P Freeman Archives - Sustainable Sue

JOMO Can Make Life Sustainable

For me, part of living a sustainable life that is happy, joyous, and free is making space. There is the idea of holding space for others, but that is advanced work compared to where I am now. I cannot give to others what I am still trying to give myself (insert cliche about oxygen masks here). I am a beginner at this, and I have no shame in my beginner game. Emily Freeman writes about being a beginner in her book and it is one of the roundhouse kicks to the head that her book delivered for me. In a good way delivering a truth bomb, not in a Chuck Norris kick that kills you.

For so many years I suffered from FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out. I did not want to go to your party, but I was devastated you didn’t invite me. I had to drink to manage anxiety about that event, but damn the torpedos I had to be there. Welp, I am in the middle of a conscious uncoupling from FOMO so that I can create a lifelong union with its more enlightened sister, JOMO.

While there is a physical part of it where I get to wear sweatpants on a Friday night instead of Spanx, heels, or a bra, JOMO goes even further for me. There was a phrase that stuck out to me when I was reading my SARK book recently.

OVERWHELM FEELS VERY CROWDED
Golden nugget from the book Make Your Creative Dreams Real

What this looks like from a practical stand point is ruthlessly paring down my activities. Even ones I know are “good for me.” For example, the only thing I love more than making a list is time boxing the things on that list. Then crossing them off?! SWOON. I fill these lists with exercise – an hour each day, varying between cycling and hiking and PT exercises to maintain my creaky knees; chores, errands, and meal planning to make the week go smoother; an hour of crafting, gardening, reading, and napping each day – because those are relaxing so by God I will be scheduling in my relaxation.

Then come Monday my tank was empty, and I felt like I was escaping to work to recover from my weekend. This was not sustainable. It is not happening overnight, but I am cutting back. Over Labor Day weekend my assignment was to get bored. And let me tell you – I CRUSHED that goal. On Saturday of that long weekend, Bixby and I watched 12 hours of TV. Like, in one day. We finished the sedan series of Mindhunter and watched most of Chernobyl (both of which we recommend BTW. I did not even multitask while watching, just laid like broccoli. And it was a delight!

The Next Right Thing – Emily P. Freeman

Rating: 5 stars

Cliff Notes Version: I have never highlighted on a Kindle until I read this book. Backlist read completed 3/1/2019.

Full Review: Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) on Kindle. This was the first book launch team I was a part of and it was a great experience! The author is local to Greensboro, where I live so I was grateful to be on a launch team that was also convenient for me to support.

Some parts of this book touched a raw searching nerve in me that made all the hairs on my neck stand up. And I don’t know of any big decisions weighing heavily on my heart and mind right now! Additionally, Emily P Freeman has an online course, “Discern and Decide” that works as a companion piece to this book and also a quiz that helps you decide what your decision-making style is. Apparently I make decisions with my gut, which might be why we buy Tums from Costco.

Some people have commented they are not going to read it bc of the “God focus.” I am here to tell you that is a mistake. I would consider myself a seeker and spent a couple decades angry at God for things that happened in my life and for the people he put in charge of churches. But there is a small part inside of me that knows there is something in the universe that is greater than me and I choose to call it Love. Whenever Emily refers to God, I literally subbed the word Love and it unlocked messages that I really needed to hear. Don’t let your fear of the human mess get in the way of the soul message.