“To descend into ourselves, we must first lift ourselves up.”

“To descend into ourselves, we must first lift ourselves up.”

—Joseph Joubert, 18th Century French moralist and essayist

Image from Unsplash by Zac Durant

Toward the end of October, I was knocked out of my usual activities by a bad cold and an extra heavy dose of seasonal pollen to activate my allergies. I even took a Covid test before I went to my doctor, who told me it was most likely viral and to keep up my palliative care efforts of chicken soup, tea, and rest.

About the only activities that remained consistent were my meditation practice and some reading. Looking through the lens of my illness with modest energy at best, I found my descent into my thoughts and feelings revealing. A big takeaway that I thought I always knew is that the ultimate wealth is health.

EXERCISE:

How do you perceive the ups and downs of your life?

How do you lift yourself up so that you can more fully descend into yourself to live a richer more fulfilling life?

“Fill each day with things to learn, launch, and love.”

“Fill each day with things to learn, launch, and love.”

Jay Shetty, English author, former Hindu monk, and life coach

Image from Unsplash by jeshoots.com

Recently I had a day with absolutely nothing on my calendar.

Instead of jumping into my default activities to pass the time, I looked to today’s quote to guide my efforts.

Rather than sharing my specific activities, I ask you to consider what you learn, launch, and love throughout your days.

Take a look at the correlation between these activities and having a sense of fulfillment when it’s time to rest.

EXERCISE:

How can and will you be more intentional to actually plan and schedule things to learn, launch, and love in the days ahead?

“It’s often the bends in the road that make life worth the drive.”

“It’s often the bends in the road that make life worth the drive.”

—Nicholas Sparks, Author of A Bend in the Road

Image from Unsplash by Denys Nevozhai

When was the last time you took a long car ride? Go back in time to look at those family vacations where you loaded up the station wagon, minivan, or SUV and headed to parts unknown, to kick back and take life at a slower pace.

These days, many of us check our most popular navigation app to get where we want to go as directly as possible. This direct and speedy route often involves highways, lots of cement, asphalt, other vehicles, the occasional farm, and perhaps cows grazing along the road.

EXERCISE:

In what ways are the twists, turns, and bends in the road of life taking you on a much more meaningful and fulfilling journey? What intentional detours can and will you take now and in the future to enjoy the ride even more?

“Take only memories, leave only footprints.”

“Take only memories, leave only footprints.”

—Chief Seattle, Duwamish Tribe Leader & namesake of the City of Seattle

Image form Unsplash by NASA

Many of us are living simpler and more essentially these days. Taking less seems to be giving many of us more of the intrinsic things we value most.

I can recall visiting the Disney World exhibit sponsored by Kodak—the powerhouse of photography—when my kids were little. The catchy tune “Making Memories” inspired us to take a photo safari around the park, taking snapshots of us wearing the wild hats in each gift shop, without making a single purchase.

I also easily recall being glued to the TV in 1969 when man landed on the moon. Although some rocks were taken for study, the most impressive visual I recall was the astronauts jumping for joy, and of course, the many footprints they left, establishing the fact that they were there.

EXERCISE:

How would your life become even more fulfilling and meaningful if you embraced Chief Seattle’s coaching?

 

“We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.”

“We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.”

—Hillaire Belloc, 20th Century British-French writer and historian

Image from Unsplash by Anastasia Petrova

To what degree are you a wanderer or a traveler? Since most of us are not using trains, planes, or automobiles as often as usual, consider taking a look at your media and social media journeys.

How often do you find yourself surfing the web and giving your remote a workout to fill the time and distract you from boredom or the hard realities we are all facing in this pandemic?

Alternatively, how are you planning your days with intention and focus, to travel paths toward specific destinations and goals?

EXERCISE:

Where and how would more traveling and less wandering through your days lead to a more fulfilling life?

What one specific action will you take today to begin this journey?

Talents and Deep Gladness

“At what point do my talents and deep gladness meet the world’s deep need?”

Frederick Buechner, American writer & theologian

Aerial view of tropical rainforest with converging rivers, Guyana

Image from thefatherhoodcomission

Imagine two great rivers flowing from their source high in the mountains, where ice and snow melt into the purest waters possible. The names of these rivers happen to be “My Talents,” and “Deep Gladness.”

Many miles away, where the two rivers converge, is the ocean of “What the world needs most,” and the resulting delta could be the Island of Happiness, Fulfillment, and Life Purpose.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you best channel the naturally flowing aspects of your talents and deep gladness to generously contribute to the world’s deepest needs?

True Wisdom Lies in Gathering the Precious Things

“True wisdom lies in gathering the precious things out of each day as it goes by.”

—E.S. Bouton

Image of woman lounging on a beach chair

Image from Unsplash by RawPixel

My wife Wendy’s “happy place” is the beach. She loves nothing more, except family and friends, than her time on a sandy ocean beach, looking for interesting and beautiful shells. Among her favorites are brightly colored or interestingly shaped mollusk shells, particularly if they are shaped like a heart or infinity symbol.

When she is not at the beach, she sets a wonderful example for me, my children, and others, by squeezing the most out of each precious day. It is not uncommon for her to alter the hours she sleeps, simply because she doesn’t want to miss any of the joy and sweetness life has to offer.

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you seek, discover, and savor more of the precious things around you to make more of each and every day?

Your Work is to Discover Your Work

“Your work is to discover your work and then, with all your heart, to give yourself to it.”

—Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism

Image from Unsplash

No quote captures my business and personal coaching work purpose better than this one!

A large percentage of people I work with in the business world rarely experience a perfect fit between who they are and what they do.

I see this most often when people seek coaching because they have a heightened awareness of this gap in their fulfillment and satisfaction, and choose to make an intentional transition with this huge chunk of their life.

EXERCISE:

To put you in closer touch to the work you are meant to do, consider reading these books:

Of course, you can always contact me to explore how I may assist you in this effort.

“By Doing What You Love…”

“By doing what you love you inspire and awaken the hearts of others.”

—Satsuki Shibuya, painter, artist, spiritual teacher

Photo from Flickr by Chattgd

Photo from Flickr by Chattgd

Most coaches I know have their own coaches, supporting them on their professional and personal journeys. They consider striving for their own definition of success and fulfillment of great value and importance.

This behavior is one of the most important characteristics that attract clients to a particular coach. People see that their potential coach walks the talk and has made considerable progress in their own life journey. This makes them credible as a supportive partner in helping clients realize their goals.

EXERCISE:

Who do you know that truly loves what they do, and awakens your heart to pursue your own passions and purposes? How can you do more of what inspires you, to have the same influence on those around you?

“The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.”

“The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.”

– Oliver Wendall Holmes

Imagine that you have decided to climb Mount Everest. Consider all the plans and activities required for you to achieve what only 1,500 or so people have ever done.

The amount of time that people actually stand on the summit is just a fraction of the time spent going from base camp to the top … and that’s not even counting in training and preparation time.

Exercise:

Examine your own level of fulfillment in the journeys you have undertaken and are currently on, to realize it is your direction and the process of living each day that holds much of the sweetness of life.