You've probably heard of the "cost of doing business," but do you know the cost of BUSY-ness?

How often do you catch yourself saying "I'm so busy!"? Have you ever stopped to think about what you create in your life with your claims of busy-ness?

Claiming to be frantic gives us so many hidden rewards!

• We have an excuse for things we don't want to do: "Oh, I'm so sorry I can't make it to your meeting/party/etc.; I'm already booked up."
• It makes us feel important: "So many people need me! Things would fall apart without me."
• We feel like we've "earned" our treats or our downtime: "I deserve this vacation; I've been absolutely swamped!"

On the other hand, there's a cost to our busy-ness. Maybe you've experienced these ones?

• We feel like we're running all the time, always worn out and spread thin.
• We don't have the energy to enjoy our favorite activities, even if we do make time for them.
• We have a subtle feeling of dissatisfaction with our lives, but we can't quite figure out why.

You might be aware of those costs, but I assert that there's a bigger cost of busy-ness. The REAL cost of busy-ness is the feeling of disconnection from who we are and what we want for our lives.

When we are busy, we tend to stay focused on surface issues. Busy-ness can actually be an excuse to not dive deep and ask ourselves "What's my intention for my life?" or "What's important to me?" These questions require space. They demand time.

Answering them is only possible when we slow down enough to catch up with ourselves. Check out the "action" section for ideas to help you curb the REAL cost of busy-ness in your life.

When was the last time you paid attention to how you really spend your time? Do your daily activities reflect what you want to create for your life? Perhaps you may not even know what you want to create for your life.

Here are some simple and effective things that you can do to reduce the busy-ness in your life so you can re-connect with yourself:

• Start Noticing Busy-ness
  We can't change what we don't see. Are you engaged in activities that have meaning? At the end of your day, do you feel fulfilled? What excuses do tell yourself about why you're busy? How often do you make time to replenish yourself?
• Create quiet space
  Get rid of the background noise - the TV, radio and phone - and notice the silence. Go for a walk. Take a bath. Get out a pen and paper and just start writing. Or just sit quietly for a couple of minutes and let your mind wander. You don't need a lot of time - you'll be amazed at what 5-10 quiet minutes can do.
• Ask yourself "What's important to me?"
  Your first reaction may be "I don't know", but don't let that stop you. Keep asking! Write the question on sticky notes around your home and office to remind you. Start to make a list of things that are important to you (include big and small) and you'll be amazed at what you come up with.

Give yourself permission not to have all the answers at once. The important thing is that you're asking the questions. Once you start to get a clear sense of what's important to you, you're more likely to make more satisfying decisions and feel the results of creating a fulfilling life.

Next month: "What helps you to be successful?"

PS, to receive future issues of this free monthly newsletter, you must subscribe to the newsletter, and add lisa@orangecoaching.com to your address book today. You will NOT receive further newsletters unless you confirm your subscription.

Welcome to the premier issue of "live your possibility™ from Lisa Badame Anderson of orangecoaching.

What is "live your possibility™"? It is a free monthly newsletter that is short, easy to read and full of information that will help you create a fulfilling, purposeful life. Future topics will focus on specific actions for you to step into your full potential and they are inspired from learnings Lisa’s had in her life or observed around her.

Who is it for? "live your possibility™" is for women who are DONE with hiding from their lives and are ready to own their feminine power and bring it out into the world.

For women who are not afraid of who they are capable of being and what they are capable of creating.

For women who want to live their possibility.

How do you continue to receive your newsletter? To receive future issues, you must subscribe to the newsletter. If you prefer not to receive additional issues, you don't need to take any action – you will not receive further issues.

If you're a man reading this, you didn't receive it in error – we assume that you know women who may be interested.

What is orangecoaching? Lisa Badame Anderson of orangecoaching is a Certified Professional Coach and to learn more about her and what she does, visit orangecoaching.com.

Lisa is also days away from giving birth to her first child, which should provide some interesting newsletter learnings!