Every day you are faced with a myriad of choices. Some of them are seemingly small like what you want to eat for lunch; while others are more complicated, like who are you going to hire to replace your assistant. But the amazing thing about choices is that regardless of their apparent size, they all affect your life.
Your life today is the sum of the choices you have made up to this point. You may not think that your lunch menu is all that important in the scheme of things. However, depending on the status of your health, the choice of food you choose will play a minor or major role in your overall well-being. The same can be said for your decisions regarding financial issues, relationships and career moves.
Most of us make many of our choices out of habit. We very rarely stop to think about the consequences. We act out of habit and then wonder why we are gaining weight, or why our job is not really the dream job we thought it was, or how our finances got so out of control. We see the end results of unconscious choices, but we have a difficult time seeing the path that leads to that end result.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. You do have control over the choices you make. The tricky part is to make sure you know when you are actually making a choice versus just acting out of habit.
One way to practice bringing awareness to your choice-making process to pick 3 or 4 choices that you make every day. These choices could be around things such as eating, exercising, spending time with your kids, work situations, etc. As each choice arises during the day, ask yourself these two questions:
1. Am I making this choice because it truly feels right to me or because it’s something I think I should do and/or because it’s easy to do?
2. Is this choice going to move my life forward in a direction I want or is it going to keep me where I am?
Becoming more conscious in your choice-making process will help you make better choices for your well-being and will help you move your life closer to how you truly want to be living.
At every moment of our lives, we are choosing between safety and growth. Cheri Huber
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Making Time for What's Important to You
Today is Monday, the start of a new week. What are some things that you personally want to accomplish this week and how can you make sure that they get done? It can be so easy to start a new week with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and purpose only to let the days slip by until the week is over and you find that you haven’t done really anything you wanted.
Here's one way you can have a more gratifying and fulfilling week. Make a list of the 5 most important things you want to get done. The key here is that you get to define what is meant by important. Important could be a project at work or important could be your child’s soccer or baseball game. Important could be a picnic with your significant other or it could be volunteering at upcoming street fair in your neighborhood. Important in this exercise means something that excites you and gives you energy.
Once you have created your list and marked off the required times on your calendar, put one copy of your list on your refrigerator, one somewhere near your desk and put the last copy on the mirror in your bathroom. This way, the list is the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night. It is a gentle reminder that these are the projects and events you prioritized as important to complete.
As the week goes by, observe how you are doing. Are you on course or are other responsibilities and unexpected events getting in your way? If you are on course, give yourself pat on the back. You have chosen things that obviously are important to you and you have made a commitment to make sure you complete them.
If you have fallen off course, chances are you didn’t choose things that really jazzed you. The items you chose may be important in the greater scheme of life, but they don’t hold enough energy for you to truly care about doing them. And it is very hard to succeed at things we don’t have fun doing.
If that happens, don’t beat yourself up. Start again next Monday and give yourself permission to choose things that are truly important to you. You know what you care about. This is your life. Don’t let the pressures of the outside world steer you off course.
Every time you don’t follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness. Shakti Gawain
Here's one way you can have a more gratifying and fulfilling week. Make a list of the 5 most important things you want to get done. The key here is that you get to define what is meant by important. Important could be a project at work or important could be your child’s soccer or baseball game. Important could be a picnic with your significant other or it could be volunteering at upcoming street fair in your neighborhood. Important in this exercise means something that excites you and gives you energy.
Once you have created your list and marked off the required times on your calendar, put one copy of your list on your refrigerator, one somewhere near your desk and put the last copy on the mirror in your bathroom. This way, the list is the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night. It is a gentle reminder that these are the projects and events you prioritized as important to complete.
As the week goes by, observe how you are doing. Are you on course or are other responsibilities and unexpected events getting in your way? If you are on course, give yourself pat on the back. You have chosen things that obviously are important to you and you have made a commitment to make sure you complete them.
If you have fallen off course, chances are you didn’t choose things that really jazzed you. The items you chose may be important in the greater scheme of life, but they don’t hold enough energy for you to truly care about doing them. And it is very hard to succeed at things we don’t have fun doing.
If that happens, don’t beat yourself up. Start again next Monday and give yourself permission to choose things that are truly important to you. You know what you care about. This is your life. Don’t let the pressures of the outside world steer you off course.
Every time you don’t follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness. Shakti Gawain
Thursday, June 18, 2009
What Made You Smile Today?
What is something good that happened to you today? What made you smile? Do you have to stop and think a little before answering that question? If it takes you some time to come up with something good to report, you are not alone. For most of us it is much easier to complain about the person who cut in front of us in the coffee line than it is to recognize all the wonderful things we experience everyday.
We are fast to judge and slow to enjoy. When life is flowing smoothly we often don’t notice it. It is only when we hit a bump or run up against an obstacle that we become conscious of where we are and what we are doing. And at that point our focus is only on what is wrong in that moment.
What would happen if we were more conscious in our life? What if we paid as much attention to the beautiful and fun things as we do to the little annoyances? What if our conversations focused on the colors of the sunset, the flowers in the garden, the smile on the face of the store clerk or the amazing achievements of our children? Wouldn’t that create a very different and positive kind of energy both in us and in the world?
I invite you to join me for a week of staying conscious and noticing the wonder in the world. There is so much joy and beauty out there just waiting to be noticed. Sometimes it’s small, like a smile from a stranger or someone opening a door for you and sometimes it’s bigger like your child’s piano recital or finishing your first 10K race.
Be aware of your surroundings and notice what you observe. When you find yourself feeling good or when you find a smile on your face, take a moment and enjoy it. These are the times that truly matter in life; and when we take the time to appreciate them, we all smile a whole lot more – and that's an energy that could change the world.
Most of the shadows in this life are caused by our standing in our own shadow. Ralph Waldo Emerson
We are fast to judge and slow to enjoy. When life is flowing smoothly we often don’t notice it. It is only when we hit a bump or run up against an obstacle that we become conscious of where we are and what we are doing. And at that point our focus is only on what is wrong in that moment.
What would happen if we were more conscious in our life? What if we paid as much attention to the beautiful and fun things as we do to the little annoyances? What if our conversations focused on the colors of the sunset, the flowers in the garden, the smile on the face of the store clerk or the amazing achievements of our children? Wouldn’t that create a very different and positive kind of energy both in us and in the world?
I invite you to join me for a week of staying conscious and noticing the wonder in the world. There is so much joy and beauty out there just waiting to be noticed. Sometimes it’s small, like a smile from a stranger or someone opening a door for you and sometimes it’s bigger like your child’s piano recital or finishing your first 10K race.
Be aware of your surroundings and notice what you observe. When you find yourself feeling good or when you find a smile on your face, take a moment and enjoy it. These are the times that truly matter in life; and when we take the time to appreciate them, we all smile a whole lot more – and that's an energy that could change the world.
Most of the shadows in this life are caused by our standing in our own shadow. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
What Unnecessary Baggage Are You Carrying?
Two Zen monks, Tanzan and Ekido, traveling on pilgrimage, came to a muddy river crossing. There they saw a lovely young woman dressed in her kimono and finery, obviously not knowing how to cross the river without ruining her clothes. Without further ado, Tanzan graciously picked her up, held her close to him, and carried her across the muddy river, placing her onto the dry ground. Then he and Ekido continued on their way.
Hours later they found themselves at a lodging temple. And here Ekido could no longer restrain himself and gushed forth his complaints: “Surely, it is against the rules what you did back there…. Touching a woman is simply not allowed…. How could you have done that? … And to have such close contact with her! … This is a violation of all monastic protocol…” Thus he went on with his verbiage. Tanzan listened patiently to the accusations. Finally, during a pause, he said, “Look, I set that girl down back at the crossing. Are you still carrying her?”
(Based on an autobiographical story by Japanese master Tanzan, 1819-1892)
Are there things that you are hanging onto that are holding you back from doing what you really want to do in your life?
We don't see things the way they are, we see things the way we are. The Talmud
Hours later they found themselves at a lodging temple. And here Ekido could no longer restrain himself and gushed forth his complaints: “Surely, it is against the rules what you did back there…. Touching a woman is simply not allowed…. How could you have done that? … And to have such close contact with her! … This is a violation of all monastic protocol…” Thus he went on with his verbiage. Tanzan listened patiently to the accusations. Finally, during a pause, he said, “Look, I set that girl down back at the crossing. Are you still carrying her?”
(Based on an autobiographical story by Japanese master Tanzan, 1819-1892)
Are there things that you are hanging onto that are holding you back from doing what you really want to do in your life?
We don't see things the way they are, we see things the way we are. The Talmud
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Procrastination or Perfection: Two Sides of the Same Coin
When it comes to completing tasks, people often fall into one of two camps: Camp Procrastination or Camp Perfection. If you are a member of Camp Procrastination, then your modus operandi is to sabotage your progress by finding ways to distract yourself from starting whatever it is you have to do. Common methods of distraction are reading your e-mail, returning phone calls, Tweeting, updating Facebook or keeping yourself busy by doing less important tasks. Whatever the distractions may be, they all serve their same purpose which is to keep you from doing the project.
On the other hand, if you are a member of Camp Perfection you approach the issue from a different angle but with somewhat the same results. Being a perfectionist you most likely jump right into the project and give it your all; but the problem is that you are not sure when “your all” is good enough. You keep working and revising the project because you are striving for perfection. You tweak it here and edit it there. You keep finding ways to improve it, often times spending way more time on the task than is actually needed.
Which camp do you fall into? Do you have trouble getting started or do you have trouble completing a task to your satisfaction? Begin to notice what you do to sabotage your success. Becoming aware of our patterns of behavior is the best way to start dismantling the ones that no longer work for us.
The last time you failed, did you stop trying because you failed – or did you fail because you stopped trying? Unknown
On the other hand, if you are a member of Camp Perfection you approach the issue from a different angle but with somewhat the same results. Being a perfectionist you most likely jump right into the project and give it your all; but the problem is that you are not sure when “your all” is good enough. You keep working and revising the project because you are striving for perfection. You tweak it here and edit it there. You keep finding ways to improve it, often times spending way more time on the task than is actually needed.
Which camp do you fall into? Do you have trouble getting started or do you have trouble completing a task to your satisfaction? Begin to notice what you do to sabotage your success. Becoming aware of our patterns of behavior is the best way to start dismantling the ones that no longer work for us.
The last time you failed, did you stop trying because you failed – or did you fail because you stopped trying? Unknown
Monday, June 08, 2009
The Weight of a Snowflake
“Tell me the weight of a snowflake,” a coal-mouse asked a wild dove.
“Nothing more than nothing,” was the answer.
“In that case I must tell you a marvelous story,” the coal mouse said. “I sat on a branch of a fir tree, close to its trunk, when it began to snow, not heavily, not in a giant blizzard, no, just like in a dream, without any violence. Since I didn’t have anything better to do, I counted the snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles of my branch. Their number was exactly 3,741,952. When the next snowflake dropped onto the branch – nothing more than nothing, as you say – the branch broke off.”
Having said that, the coal-mouse flew away. The dove, since Noah’s time an authority on change, thought about the story for a while and finally said to herself: “Perhaps there is only one person’s voice lacking for peace to come about in the world”
(By Kurt Kauer, excerpted from The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace by Jack Kornfield)
For one human being to love another:
That is perhaps the most difficult of our tasks,
the ultimate test and proof,
the work for which all other work is but preparation.
Rainer Maria Rilke
“Nothing more than nothing,” was the answer.
“In that case I must tell you a marvelous story,” the coal mouse said. “I sat on a branch of a fir tree, close to its trunk, when it began to snow, not heavily, not in a giant blizzard, no, just like in a dream, without any violence. Since I didn’t have anything better to do, I counted the snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles of my branch. Their number was exactly 3,741,952. When the next snowflake dropped onto the branch – nothing more than nothing, as you say – the branch broke off.”
Having said that, the coal-mouse flew away. The dove, since Noah’s time an authority on change, thought about the story for a while and finally said to herself: “Perhaps there is only one person’s voice lacking for peace to come about in the world”
(By Kurt Kauer, excerpted from The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace by Jack Kornfield)
For one human being to love another:
That is perhaps the most difficult of our tasks,
the ultimate test and proof,
the work for which all other work is but preparation.
Rainer Maria Rilke
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Motion vs. Progress
Has this ever happened to you? You spend time working at your desk. You think you are accomplishing a great deal, but then at the end of the day or work period, you find that you haven’t really achieved as much as you had hoped for. You’re a little confused because it seemed like you were busy. This happens to us all and is a great example of the difference between motion and progress. Motion is being busy while progress is being productive.
If you struggle with using your time and energy effectively, here are 5 easy steps you can take that will help you keep focused and on track.
1. Before starting your work, make sure you have a clear plan of action. What do you want to get done in the allotted time and what is the priority of the tasks? Schedule in time to check your e-mail/voice mail so that you are not distracted by that during your work time. Clear away any unnecessary paper and clutter from your work space.
2. Estimate how much time you think each task should take and then set a timer. When the timer goes off, notice how much you have accomplished. Are you on schedule? If not notice where you are getting distracted.
3. Allow yourself a 5 minute break between projects to clear your mind and relax your body. Go outside if possible. Maybe walk around the block. Clear your mind so that you can truly focus your energies on the next task.
4. Make sure you take time to eat meals and/or snacks. When you energy wanes your attention will wander and your efficiency will decrease.
5. At the end of the work period take some time to evaluate how things have gone. Give yourself a pat on the back for the things you have accomplished and look objectively and without judgment at where you got sidetracked. What steps can you take to help eliminate that issue?
And remember, being busy does not always translate into being productive!
Much of the stress that people feel doesn't come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they have started. David Allen
If you struggle with using your time and energy effectively, here are 5 easy steps you can take that will help you keep focused and on track.
1. Before starting your work, make sure you have a clear plan of action. What do you want to get done in the allotted time and what is the priority of the tasks? Schedule in time to check your e-mail/voice mail so that you are not distracted by that during your work time. Clear away any unnecessary paper and clutter from your work space.
2. Estimate how much time you think each task should take and then set a timer. When the timer goes off, notice how much you have accomplished. Are you on schedule? If not notice where you are getting distracted.
3. Allow yourself a 5 minute break between projects to clear your mind and relax your body. Go outside if possible. Maybe walk around the block. Clear your mind so that you can truly focus your energies on the next task.
4. Make sure you take time to eat meals and/or snacks. When you energy wanes your attention will wander and your efficiency will decrease.
5. At the end of the work period take some time to evaluate how things have gone. Give yourself a pat on the back for the things you have accomplished and look objectively and without judgment at where you got sidetracked. What steps can you take to help eliminate that issue?
And remember, being busy does not always translate into being productive!
Much of the stress that people feel doesn't come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they have started. David Allen
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