I was putting away towels in our bathroom the other day and noticed the bottom of one of the trim boards was sticking out a bit. On closer inspection the issue was a nail that was about halfway out.
I was in a hurry and the thought of going downstairs to get a hammer then being careful and making sure I didn't hit the nail hard enough to mark the wood just sounded like too much trouble. So I whipped off my shoe and gave the nail a couple quick whacks and it was done; simple, quick and easy.
There are many things in our life like that nail. They are there and need to be handled. We can over-plan and over-think these things or we can just do them. Yes, I know there are things that require a little planning or the right tool; but not everything and not every time.
Action: Review your to-do list and see if you can knock off a few items simply by allowing yourself to do thinks more simply.
When I got up this morning the house was still; everyone was asleep and peace blanketed everything. I made a cup of tea then sat down and reveled in the stillness. I enjoyed the quiet, not having anyone asking anything of me, and not having to be anywhere or do anything. It was just lovely.
Then I thought about what it would really be like if this is the way I lived my life. I imagined how it would feel if this was my constant state, if I truly lived alone and had no responsibilities, no activities, no place to be and no one expected anything of me. The truth is that it would get old very quickly. I dream of time on my own because it's a break from the everyday, an oasis in the midst of the craziness of life. But it's not how I want to spend my entire life.
As you redesign your life be careful to focus on what you truly want and love and not just escaping the things that have been tiring or frustrating. You want to focus on your passions and your priorities.
Action: Make a list of your highest priorities, the things that mean the most to you. Then be sure that the activities on your calendar support those priorities.
Recommended Resources!
Ready to go deeper? Try some of these resources!
(The following resources are things we like and believe to be worth your time to look at. Some products are free and some are for purchase. Sometimes we earn a profit, commission, affiliate or an advertising fee when you buy and sometimes we don't. But the resources are always chosen because we see value in them. We hope you agree.
As the summer rolls along it seems like things get busier and busier. The time left to spend with my girls before they start school is drawing to a close. The time to plan and host fall events for my business is getting short. Things are exciting and fun but moving at break-neck speed and there is so much I want and need to do.
It's easy to just work harder and faster, give up sleep and try to get more done. But the real solution may be to do something counter intuitive and take a vacation.
Today's local paper, The Herald Palladium, has an article on vacations and the benefits to our health. It turns out that people who take vacations have less health problems and live longer than people who don't. My experience has been that taking a vacation also clears our heads and helps us be more focused and more productive in our work.
Action: Take a look at your calendar and find time to relax, whether it's a vacation, a stay-cation or a micro-vacation, carve out time to relax, de-stress, and have some fun!
Recommended Resources!
Ready to go deeper? Try some of these resources!
(The following resources are things we like and believe to be worth your time to look at. Some products are free and some are for purchase. Sometimes we earn a profit, commission, affiliate or an advertising fee when you buy and sometimes we don't. But the resources are always chosen because we see value in them. We hope you agree.
How many times have you answered a serious or probing question with the phrase "I don't know?" Often people respond with "I don't know" because they haven't really given consideration to the question or they don't want to "go there" and examine what their true answer would be.
Any time I've been in this kind of conversation with my friend Janine, she always follows up with, "well, what if you DID know?" Grrrr! Now I have to dig deeper. The truth of the matter is, at some level, conscious or not, you DO always know. And when you have someone like Janine who pushes you to pay closer attention (most people won't do this on their own), the real answer comes out.
Who is the Janine in your life? And when was the last time you talked to her? Or who needs you to reflect that question back to them?
Wow it seems like forever since my last blog post…but with moving to a new Military post and all that that entails, inspiration has been taken over by my need for sleep!
But slowly we are adjusting to the altitude of Colorado and making it home. While I’m not totally “with it” or “settled in” yet, this afternoon we had the first true storm I’ve seen in years (El Paso dust storms DO NOT count…LOL) and a funny thing happened….much to my surprise I was excited and enjoyed every moment of it!
Now for some of you that may seem like not a big deal, but for me storms used to bring with them extreme stress and anxiety. Storms were not my friend…but this time was different…I saw the clouds building and marveled at the beauty and different shades of gray. I heard the thunder and smiled remembering what the air smelled like after a good rain. I caught pieces of hail in my hand and giggled as I dashed back in as lightning struck. And I watched as the clouds parted and the sun peaked through revealing a beautiful skyline.
The fact that not having storms these last few years stopped my fear of thunderstorms seems fascinating and got me thinking about how our fears pop up and we either feed them or they go away. The fact that there weren’t true thunderstorms (or at least not the kind we get in the Midwest) meant that I unconsciously didn’t feed into that fear, and therefore it actually disappeared. Wouldn’t it seem to be true that any fear that we have if we stop feeding it that it will go away?
Change our thoughts, change our lives; right?……we hear that statement over and over and sometimes we just need proof that it’s true, and funny thing is that proof often comes to us in the strangest ways…and sometimes it’s as simple as a breath of fresh air after a summer storm!
Recommended Resources!
Ready to go deeper? Try some of these resources! (The following resources are things we like and believe to be worth your time to look at. Some products are free and some are for purchase. Sometimes we earn a profit, commission, affiliate or an advertising fee when you buy and sometimes we don't. But the resources are always chosen because we see value in them. We hope you agree.
Consider this comment posted by a FB friend of mine:
"The grass is always greener where you fertilize and water it."
It's easy to get into a comparison or complaining binge. When things are tough or just not happening the way you would like it's tempting to look around and think about how it might be better if you did what the guy with the green grass is doing.
The truth is this: his grass is green is he is caring for it. Whatever type of grass, whatever plot of land he chose to grow it on, he's caring for the grass. It's not about the brand of sprinkler head or the style of fertilizer spreader; it's gaining a little understanding about quantity and frequency then going out and doing it. Then doing it again, and again.
And if the grass is having a problem he may tweak his approach and see what happens. He may do a little research or call in an expert to give him some advice. Then it's back to following through with the action.
Action: Fertilize and water your grass. Whatever it is you want to do or change, put in a little time, effort, energy. Learn about it then do it, and do it regularly.
Recommended Resources!
Ready to go deeper? Try some of these resources! (The following resources are things we like and believe to be worth your time to look at. Some products are free and some are for purchase. Sometimes we earn a profit, commission, affiliate or an advertising fee when you buy and sometimes we don't. But the resources are always chosen because we see value in them. We hope you agree.)
Sometimes you need a little outside perspective to get you over the hump, back on track or moving forward. A coach or personal consultant may be just the ticket so here are a few I know:
We all face challenges as well as times that we just want to do something really different. At these times creativity is the perfect tool to help us out. But then that little voice kicks in and starts telling you that you aren't creative enough or that you're blocked. That's when you start to believe you aren't creative enough to do whatever you want.
And it's just not true.
We all have the ability to tap into creativity to create change, have fun, make something, solve a problem or design just the right thing. It's simply a matter of moving the roadblocks out of the way and relaxing our way into it.
As Drew Emborsky told me in yesterday's Heart Filled Holidays interview - creativity is like a river constantly flowing. All we have to do is take our bucket down and dip it in.
So don't worry about coming up with something on your own. Just follow your intuition and your happy feelings right down to the river and dip your bucket in.
Action: Believe you are fully connected and have total access to the river of creativity. Then, relax, let it go, and allow that creativity to bring you ideas (and write them down as soon as they come because they can be a bit elusive).
Recommended Resources! Ready to go deeper? Try some of these resources! (The following resources are things we like and believe to be worth your time to look at. Some products are free and some are for purchase. Sometimes we earn a profit, commission, affiliate or an advertising fee when you buy and sometimes we don't. But the resources are always chosen because we see value in them. We hope you agree.)
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