Abundance is not something we acquire, it’s something we tune into.

Posted on by

“Abundance is not something we acquire, it’s something we tune into.”

—Wayne Dyer, late self-help author and motivational speaker

Image from Unsplash by Braden Callum

When is enough enough? How much money, possessions, status, and achievement lets you know you’ve made it?

Western society keeps fanning the flames of a “more is better” world. Many of us seem to be trapped in a vicious cycle of gluttony where our appetites are never satisfied — often to our own detriment.

Where do you find yourself running this race? To what degree do you find yourself on a treadmill getting sweaty but not getting anywhere truly satisfying?

EXERCISE:

What are the absolute essential elements of a good and meaningful life?

How tuned into and appreciative are you of the things you already have?

Try quietly sitting in this space to explore the peaceful abundant feeling it can offer.

Separate your notions from your emotions

Posted on by

Separate your notions from your emotions.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Uday Mittal

Ever found yourself upset by every little thing going on in your life? Times when the smallest details of your days grate on you and trigger levels of annoyance that feel well out of proportion?

Perhaps your mighty mind is actually making mountains out of molehills! Your power to interpret life’s events and other people’s motives have gone to the dark side, and you start playing the victim.

EXERCISE:

Where are your notions stirring up your emotions?

How might some buffer space between stimulus and response — and a bigger helping of objectivity — help settle your nerves?

Friday Review: Fun

Posted on by

Friday Review: Fun

How often do you make “fun” a part of your day? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.

“Ask yourself: Does the job touch my heart and feed my soul? You will never be what you were meant to be if you aren’t having fun.”

 

 

 

 

“Adults need recess too.”

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

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

Posted on by

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

—Claude Monet, 19th Century French painter

Image from Wikipedia

I’m a big fan of the Big Bang TV series and don’t mind spending a bit of free time watching a few reruns.

In one particular episode the whole gang decided to go to an escape room as an evening diversion.

With only an initial clue or two, the group, with their mighty minds and keen powers of observation, found the key to escape in only six minutes.

EXERCISE:

How strong are your powers of observation?

How much time do you patiently and calmly reflect on life’s sticky situations to find a way forward you might not have ever considered?

Procrastination is the thief of time

Posted on by

“Procrastination is the thief of time. Collar him.”

—Edward Young, 18th Century English Poet

Image from Unsplash by nit niu

When we think of the word “collar” most of us think of the piece of clothing around our necks. In Young’s day, it was often used as a term to apprehend or arrest a criminal.

If you watch police shows on TV,  the term often points to the success rate of bringing in the bad guys and taking them off the streets to pay for their crimes.

Procrastination is indeed a thief.

What has it stolen from you over the years?

How is it picking your pockets these days?

EXERCISE:

What strategies can and will you use to collar procrastination and free yourself of its choke-hold on your life?

“Don’t swing at every pitch. Wait for the right ones and then knock them out of the park.”

Posted on by

“Don’t swing at every pitch. Wait for the right ones and then knock them out of the park.”

—Rohan Rajiv, author of A Learning a Day Blog

Image from Unsplash by Josh Hemsley

I recently had the opportunity to observe two different sporting events on the same weekend.

One—as you might guess from today’s quote—was baseball. The other was tennis.

When I compared the two, I noticed a significant difference.

In tennis, the receiving player tries to return every serve that makes it into the service area, no matter how fast or how much spin it may have.

In baseball, the batter has a number of chances to be more selective on when to swing at what’s being offered by the pitcher.

EXERCISE:

Where do you find yourself swinging at every pitch coming your way?

How often do you strike out or get on base, given your ability to discern which pitches are right for you?

How would more practice increase your batting average and add more home runs to your stats?

Ring the bells of your days and sit in their reverberations

Posted on by

Ring the bells of your days and sit in their reverberations.
—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Manga Vitriolic

The days go by in a blur for most of us. Whether we’re rushing around like chickens without their heads or the world around us is speeding by, it’s all a bit dizzying.

Living with greater mindfulness and intention slows things down so that we actually notice our surroundings and reflect on what is going on, moment-to-moment.

With our best focused efforts, we take in and appreciate the bells we ring and the whistles we blow to signal the marks we make in our communities.

EXERCISE:

Take some extra time throughout your day — or just at day’s end —to feel the reverberations of your efforts and the impact you’ve had on the world around you.

Consider giving yourself a quiet celebratory high five to acknowledge the good you’ve done before you head to bed.

Friday Review: Mistakes

Posted on by

Friday Review: Mistakes

What is the biggest mistake you’ve ever made? What “mistake” turned out to be a good thing? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.

 

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, risk-taking, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.”

 

 

 

“Just because you’ve made mistakes doesn’t mean your mistakes get to make you. Take notice of your inner critic, forgive yourself, and move on.”

 

 

 

“One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning.”

 

 

 

It is easier to course correct once we’re on our way

Posted on by

“It is easier to course correct once we’re on our way. When in doubt, focus on getting started. Momentum will make subsequent moves significantly easier.”

—Rohan Rajiv, Author of the A Learning a Day Blog

Image from Unsplash by Brett Jordan

If you drove a car or a truck in the 1950’s you needed a good bit of upper body strength to turn the wheel.

Before the advent of power steering in the 1960’s, moving from ten to two had many folks break a sweat, especially if the vehicle was at a complete stop.

If you were moving and had some momentum, actions such as changing lanes and going around curves was considerably easier.

EXERCISE:

Where in your life do you need to course correct and change lanes?

Where do you want to take your life out of park, put things in gear and step on the gas to build the momentum you need to get where you’re going?

 

“Don’t let statistics do a number on you.”

Posted on by

“Don’t let statistics do a number on you.”

—Fortune Cookie

Image from Unsplash by Carlos Muza

These days you hear a lot about big data and how the use of information collected has impacted all of us for both good and bad.

Here are some common statistics used in our daily lives:

  • Weather forecasting
  • Sales tracking
  • Healthcare spending and insurance
  • Monitoring traffic patterns
  • Financial models and investing
  • Manufacturing and quality improvements
  • Urban planning and population modeling

Unfortunately, we are learning more and more about how statistics are used to mislead and manipulate all of us. Areas in which things can go wrong include:

  • The use of misleading graphs
  • Selective data displays
  • Omitting the baseline
  • Distinguishing causation and correlation
  • Prosecutor’s fallacy

EXERCISE:

Where do you get your information on the subject of climate change? How fact based and objective are your sources?

Consider reading The Carbon Almanac as a source that is objective and easily verified.

What statistics and other sources of information do you currently trust, but could benefit from the use of greater verification?