The secret to living well

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“The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure.”

-Tibetan Proverb

Image from The Queen of Small Things

Over the six year life of The Quotable Coach, we’ve shared hundreds of posts exploring the concept of living longer and happier lives.

This Tibetan proverb could replace all of them with its simple wisdom.

EXERCISE:

Put forth an extra effort to practice the following ideas:

  1. Pay particular attention to the portion sizes and the quality of the foods you eat. Consider reducing your servings to 2/3 or 1/2 what you normally take, just to see what happens over a period of time.
  2. Our sedentary lifestyle is killing us! Where and in what ways can you expand your level of physical activity in this new year?
  3. Milton Berle used to say that laughter was a mini-vacation. How can and will you bring more chuckles and belly laughs into your life?
  4. Where and with whom would an abundance of love and affection brighten your world?

The Day’s Resolutions

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“I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the year’s.”

-Henry Moore, 20th Century British Sculptor and Artist

Image from cakewhiz.com

Why do we do it?

You know what I mean. Why do we make New Year’s Resolutions, knowing darn well that as much as 90% of them are abandoned by the end of February.

Perhaps it is because a year is a pretty long time, and it’s hard to set out on a journey whose goal is so far off. It almost guarantees that obstacle and barriers will slow us down or stop us completely.

Today’s quote is like the one about eating an elephant one bite at a time, or that every journey begins with a single step. Perhaps daily resolutions are the way to achieve what we deeply desire—one day at a time.

EXERCISE:

Where and on what priority issues would making 365 daily resolutions help you make 2017 your best year yet?

Be at war with your vices

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“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”

-Benjamin Franklin, American Founding Father

Image from Quote of the Day

I like bargains and two-for-one sales. This quote is a three-for-one! In Ben Franklin’s time, the word “vices” perhaps meant “behaviors that do not better oneself or another.” Today, I suggest we consider them  “bad habits” instead.

The idea of being a better person points to our ability to learn, grow, and improve as individuals.

Exercise:

What bad habits/vices will you declare war upon? In which relationships will you make a stand for peace? In what ways do you intend to be a better person in this new year?

Friday Review: Commitment

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FRIDAY REVIEW: COMMITMENT

What commitments will you make and hold to in 2017? Here are a few commitment-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message:

 

“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

 

 

 

“Today is when everything that’s going to happen from now on begins.”

 

 

 

 

“Don’t compromise yourself. You’re all you’ve got.”

 

 

 

 

Hope smiles from the threshold

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“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ‘It will be happier.’”

-Alfred Lord Tennyson, 19th Century Poet Laureate of Great Britain

Image from Ware Malcomb

Have you ever heard of the concept of “Creative Tension”?

It appears that Robert Fritz, the founder of this idea, mixed the positive nature of creativity with the frequently perceived negative nature of tension to coin this new catch phrase.

The creative aspect conveys a forward-moving, generative focus.

Tension, on the other hand, seeks resolution, and in this case, Fritz wants us to resolve the gaps between our reality and the desirable future to which we have committed.

EXERCISE:

Google the concept of “creative tension,” or check out this post about it online. See where it can propel you forward in the new year.

Ring out the false ring in the true

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“Ring out the false, ring in the true.”

-Alfred Lord Tennyson, 19th Century Poet Laureate of Great Britain

Image from Flickr by TechSavi

It’s such a cliche to say “Ring out the Old and Ring in the New!” this time of year.

Tennyson’s twist has considerable merit if we all wish to lead richer and more rewarding lives.

Lies, deceit, and general falsehoods diminish, deflate, and demoralize our lives, leaving us empty and defeated.

Truth, on the other hand, sets us free to experience lives of integrity, character, and dignity, where communities, families, and organizations can blossom.

EXERCISE:

In what personal or professional areas would ringing out the false and ringing in the true make the biggest difference for you in 2017?

The new year stands before us

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“The new year stands before us like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.”

-Melody Beattie, American Self-Help Author

Image from Flickr by Babak Fakhamzadeh

Who doesn’t like a good story filled with excitement, adventure and extraordinary accomplishments?

A challenge for many of us is that we are often listening to the tales of our friends and colleagues rather that creating and sharing our own stories.

Let’s flip this challenge on its head by dedicating ourselves to being more prolific story-tellers in the new year.

EXERCISE:

Answer the following questions, and put a plan of action into place that makes you the main character in far more stories throughout 2017:

  1. What new and exciting places will you go to in the new year?
  2. What great professional achievement will you pursue and accomplish?
  3. What significant personal achievement will you realize?
  4. What community-based contribution will most benefit from your unique abilities and talents?

Friday Review: Reflection

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FRIDAY REVIEW: REFLECTION

Do you give yourself adequate time for reflection each day? Here are a few reflection-related posts you may have missed. Click on the links to read the full message.

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“It’s on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way.”

 

 

 

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“I have always tried to make room for anything that wanted to come to me from within.”

 

 

 

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“The answers you seek never come when the mind is busy. They come when the mind is still, when silence speaks loudest.”

 

 

 

 

Make a Life

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“Don’t let making a living prevent you from making a life.”

—John Wooden, former UCLA Basketball Coach

Image of today's quote

Image from quoteaddicts.com

Who do you know in your professional circle who has a great deal of regret because they did what today’s quote warned us against?

Over 30 years ago I had dinner with Frank, the Senior Vice President of the pharmaceutical company where I was a rookie sales representative. He had a huge job running the U.S. sales for what was then a four billion dollar Fortune 500 organization with more than 1,200 sales people in 20 regions spread across The United States.

On the surface, he exuded great success and accomplishment. Yet at the end of our dinner, he confided in me that his marriage, his relationship with his children, and even his health had suffered due to his job. His coaching for me was to not make the same mistake.

EXERCISE:

How can and will you change yourself so that making a life and making a living can be part of the same great journey?