Becoming Wise

By on May 20, 2011 in Inspiration, Lessons, Personal Growth

The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages is you’ve been. –  Madelyn L’Engle

Life is a progression.  We are a work in progress and an accumulation of experiences.  Everything that has previously occurred in our lives has happened for a reason and is an essential part of our development.  One of the challenges of our lives is to integrate and absorb the pieces of our lives as we experience them.  It is sometimes tempting to try to deny difficult periods of our lives or put out of our minds significant events, especially if they have been painful or unflattering.  When we try to erase or re-write our past we deprive ourselves of our own hard-earned wisdom.

When we realize that some of our most valuable strengths have developed not in spite of, but because of the life experiences we have had; then we can begin to fully appreciate the depth and breadth of the wise person we have become.

Share|
Comments { 0 }

Have You Discovered Your Passion?

By on May 18, 2011 in Goals, Personal Growth, Purpose

Some people ask. “What if I haven’t found my true passion?”

It’s dangerous to think in terms of “passion” and “purpose” because they sound like such huge overwhelming ideas. If you think love needs to look like “Romeo and Juliet”, you’ll overlook a great relationship that grows slowly. If you think you haven’t found your passion yet, you’re probably expecting it to be overwhelming.

If you find yourself glued to Photoshop, playing around for hours, dive in deeper. Maybe that’s your new calling. If you keep thinking about putting on a conference or being a Hollywood screenwriter and you find the idea terrifies but intrigues you, it’s probably a worthy endeavor for you. You grow (and thrive!) by doing what excites you and what scares you every day, not by trying to find your passion.

Instead, just notice what excites you and what scares you on a small moment-to-moment level.

Share|
Comments { 0 }

Try Interval Training for Life

By on May 16, 2011 in Energy, Personal Growth

Have you ever heard of interval training?

For those of you non-exercisers, that is when you intersperse short bursts of high intensity activity with periods of lower intensity. What does this have to do with productivity?

The same concept can be applied to work tasks, business projects and even household chores. Try choosing something that you either dread doing or that is repetitive and boring, i.e. filing, phone calls, bookkeeping or cleaning. Then focus on doing only that one thing for in a whole-hearted, intense manner for say 10, 20 or 30 minutes. See how much you can get done, make it a game.

This has worked for me in many ways. I can talk myself into making phone calls, which I dread or dusting my house (yawn! – boring) if I know I only have to do it for 20 minutes. It is a sort of competition with myself and it almost seems, dare I almost say fun?

The key here is not to keep going – that ruins the whole concept – but to take a break or move to a more enjoyable activity when you are done. If you slip these short bursts of activity into your day, you will find that:

  • you get more done in a shorter period.
  • you don’t dread those intolerable tasks as much.
  • procrastination is not as large of an obstacle (more on that in a later post.)
  • your day is actually more fun!
Share|
Comments { 0 }

Are You Living Consciously?

By on May 13, 2011 in Inspiration, Mood, Personal Growth, Relationships

What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.– Buddha

Do we live our days to the fullest? Or are we to caught up in the ‘daily grind’ of just getting by and forget to appreciate the blessings that we have been given. Do we pay attention to our words and actions; and the effects they have on the people around us and the world in general?

When you start to live consciously, you expand on all levels: your mind, body, and emotions. You will become aware of things that were previously unseen, unknown, unrecognized or unappreciated. Your actions will become mindful as you learn to understand how your behavior affects the physical, the immaterial and the emotional state of yourself and those you interact with. By Living Consciously you will soon be able to see the truth more clearly, and learn how to take complete responsibility for the choices you make — enabling you to reach your full potential and live a life of wonder and marvelous adventure.

Share|
Comments { 0 }

Are You Ready for Change?

By on May 11, 2011 in Goals, Habits, Health, Life Balance, Mood, Personal Growth, Relationships, Work

“It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not.” ―James Gordon

Are you ready to make changes in your life? To move to a  more fulfilling, productive and purposeful type of existence?

Don’t be ashamed to answer no! This may not be the right time in your life. You may not be ready to examine what you have been doing. You may not have a burning desire to accomplish something more than you have so far. You may not feel that it’s important to know where you’re going in life or sort out the meaning and purpose behind your life and work.

That’s OK. Really. Just briefly consider that clinging to your old habits and attitudes may be costing you more than you think. It can be physically and mentally freeing to let it all go and try something different.

Consider a career shift if you don’t feel fulfilled.

Examine your family roles and dynamic.

Analyze your routines and habits – both personal and professional.

Evaluate the health of your relationships.

Assess or re-assess your goals and priorities.

Look at your health patterns.

Move toward a mindset of generosity, kindness, forgiveness and gratitude.

You may find many areas where it’s time for a change. What would you like to do about it? Change is inevitable. Why not make it a considered change rather than a forced one?

Share|
Comments { 3 }