Ep67: How to Respond to "You're So Busy" (And What to Ask Instead) | Hardcore and At Ease - powered by Others Over Self®
Someone tells you "you're so busy," and it lands like an attack, like you can't manage your own schedule. This episode shows how to respond to "you're so busy" without guilt, and what to ask instead when the phrase is on the tip of your tongue.
Episode Description
"You're so busy" usually comes from people who mean well. It still treats the full life you built like something happening to you instead of something you chose, and it stings whether you hear it or catch yourself saying it. Host Shelly Rood takes the phrase head on.
Her guest, Catherine DeDecker, started as a receptionist and is now senior vice president of Spalding DeDecker, an employee-owned engineering and surveying firm whose survey work supports the runway shift at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. In the summers, she patrols Lake St. Clair as a marine safety officer. She also serves as treasurer of her sportsman's club, runs its winter trap league, and chases Michigan waterfalls with her camera. Midway through the conversation, Shelly falls right into the phrase herself, and Catherine answers without a word of apology.
The episode closes with a two-part planner exercise and a better question to ask the people in your life, grounded in Lived Authority: you get to decide where your capabilities go.
Chapters
(00:00) Why "You're So Busy" Hurts
(01:49) Meet Catherine DeDecker
(07:05) Inside Spalding DeDecker
(17:46) Service at Selfridge and on the Lake
(23:58) Lake Rescue Story
(27:51) Photography Trips Up North
(31:35) Trap Shooting with Her Grandson
(39:10) Busy on Purpose Wrap-Up
In This Episode You'll Discover
✓ The two-word answer to "you're so busy" that lets you drop the guilt ✓ The question to ask instead, and why it invites joy instead of complaints ✓ Two things to look for in your planner this week ✓ Why the way you recharge doesn't have to match anyone else's, including your partner's
Featured Guest
Catherine DeDecker - Senior Vice President, Spalding DeDecker. Catherine worked her way through the firm's different roles, starting as the receptionist. She serves as a marine safety officer with the Macomb County Sheriff Reserve Marine Division and as treasurer of Huron Point Sportsman's Club.
Share This Episode
Who comes to mind when you hear "you're so busy"? Send them this episode so they hear Catherine's answer too.
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