You Can’t Do It All

There’s something incredibly rewarding about feeling like you can do it all.

I’ve felt that feeling recently, I’ve lbeen living that life. I’ve been doing it all – writing, reading, working, training, socializing, recording music, fixing up my house – and I’ve felt like an absolute super villain on a quest for power, a quest that delivered exactly what was promised. That rush is amazing. (Am I saying I could be a super villain? Maybe. I do like mysterious jewelry).

But it doesn’t last. You don’t need twenty-twenty-hindsight-x-ray vision to see that there’s no way a life like that can last. Honestly, it’s so obvious even from the start that living like this is going to be incredibly draining, it’s not even funny. I spread myself so thin Hollywood was only days away from selling it as the next fad diet.

Because you can’t gain something without giving something in return – fans of Fullmetal Alchemist will know what I’m talking about, it’s basically the law of equivalent exchange. If you’re suddenly doing something, or gaining something new, you’re either putting in time, energy or, *cue ominous music*, something else.

For me, it’s always sleep that’s the price. Sleep and rest. I’ll be fine the first few days of doing it all, feeling like I’m on top of the world and doing great, then I’ll find myself not getting enough rest, feeling tired, and never sleeping enough. Sooner or later, I’ll find myself never being able to feel rested and I’ll be walking around in a daze.

It all hit me the day before yesterday – which was when I decided to write this little blog post – when I almost feel asleep while walking!

If that isn’t a sign, then not even an octagonal metal plate on a seven foot pole could make it more obvious to me.

I guess this post is mostly a remainder to myself, but knowing how creative people like myself tend to get, I imagine more people than me needs to hear this: you can’t do it all. So don’t. Take care of yourself and give yourself time rest.