FRIDAY REVIEW: ANSWERS
Where do you turn when you are seeking answers? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.
“A wise man’s questions contain half the answer.”
“There is more than one right answer.”
FRIDAY REVIEW: ANSWERS
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“To understand and be understood, those are among life’s greatest gifts, and every interaction is an opportunity to exchange them.”
“To understand and be understood, those are among life’s greatest gifts, and every interaction is an opportunity to exchange them.”
—Maria Popova, Bulgarian-born, American-based essayist, and poet
Image from Unsplash by Suzana Ruttkay
During the holiday season, many people experience the ritual of gift exchanges in their personal and professional communities.
These days, more and more of us let our fingers do the shopping on our phones and other devices to find that perfect gift without breaking a sweat.
Who are the people in your life that would benefit most from greater understanding and personal connection?
How can you show greater interest, listen more deeply, and more fully honor their thoughts and feelings in your upcoming interactions.
EXERCISE:
In the coming weeks, how will you be extra generous by giving the most personalized gift of your understanding to those you care about most?
Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean me first. It means me too
“Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean me first. It means me too.”
—L.R. Knost, Editor-in-Chief of Holistic Parenting Magazine
Image from Amazon
Do you eat a healthy diet? Get regular exercise? How much sleep and rest do you get to recharge and renew?
If your answers aren’t to your liking, most experts would suggest some significant upgrades.
We all fall out of balance from time to time but far too many people—for a variety of seemingly good reasons—are paying a very high price. They assume being selfless and always putting others first is the optimal way of living a meaningful life.
EXERCISE:
Pick up a copy of Adam Grant’s book Give and Take for an expert analysis of being other-ish as the way to go. I also recommend the book On Target Living by Chris Johnson if you want to re-evaluate your eating, sleeping and exercise strategies.
“Start chipping away.”
“Start chipping away.”
—Arthur C. Brooks, American author, public speaker, and academic
Image from Unsplash by Dominik Scythe
From the moment we are born, life appears as an additive process. We gain all types of life experiences, lessons, relationships, and other stuff as the years go by.
As we enter adolescence and adulthood this process seems to increase exponentially. Our growth and added strength have given us the capacity to carry many things, and so we do. There is a ton of evidence out there that doing and having more is how to play the game.
At some point however we begin to tire. The ability to discern the truly important parts of life from the less has us looking for some relief. Our efforts can shift from the pursuit of success to a sense of greater significance, in which less is more.
EXERCISE:
How can you sculpt your life by chipping away at more of the non-essential aspects of your world?
When is it time to let go or give up so that you can begin something new
When is it time to let go or give up so that you can begin something new?
—Calm App Reflection
Image from Amazon
Where do you currently feel stalled or stuck in your life? How are you wrestling with the sunk cost of time, effort, and resources where your pivoting is just not paying off? How can you tell when it’s time to quit and when to stick things out?
An approach that has served me over the years is the HHG method. This acronym stands for Head, Heart, and Gut.
In most cases, when I evaluate my endeavors through these three filters, I can move on or stay the course with greater confidence.
EXERCISE:
Try the HHG method for yourself and let me know what you discover. I also recommend Seth Godin’s classic book “The Dip” as a resource to explore in times of potential transition.
Friday Review: Confidence
FRIDAY REVIEW: CONFIDENCE
How much confidence do you have in yourself and those around you? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.
“Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.”
“A surplus of effort could overcome a deficit of confidence.”
Optimism doesn’t wait on facts
“Optimism doesn’t wait on facts. It deals with prospects. Pessimism is a waste of time.”
—Norman Cousins, 20th Century American journalist
Image from Unsplash by Peggy Anke
Where do you stand on the spectrum of optimism to pessimism in your daily pursuits?
I’d rather be an optimist that is sometimes wrong than a pessimist that is always right.
Beyond your own self-assessment, consider taking a close look at the people in your personal and professional communities. Who are the people that see the hopeful prospects of good things ahead, versus the black hatters who see only doom and gloom?
EXERCISE:
What issues in your life would benefit most from a healthy dose of optimism? Where are you wasting too much time looking at the half empty aspects of your days?
A day is a perfect span of time to dedicate to a different intention
“A day is a perfect span of time to dedicate to a different intention—to focus in prayer or meditation on the good of another.”
—Arthur C. Brooks, American author, public speaker, and academic
Image from Unsplash by Lucian Alexe
1440 is one of my daily reads to keep informed about what’s going on in the world. I have found its content impartial, allowing me to draw my own conclusions. 1440 also happens to be the number of minutes in a day.
Reading this curated source of information usually takes me about five minutes, leaving me 1,435 to direct my attentions and intentions to matters I consider important.
How do you fill up your typical day? How many of your 1440 minutes are used purposely, to better yourself and do good within your various communities?
EXERCISE:
How can you dedicate the coming rotation of the earth to some new or different intention? What will be your focus and who do you plan to serve?
“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?
Awaken to each new day. Be mindful that it is a miracle
Awaken to each new day. Be mindful that it is a miracle.
—Calm App Reflection
Image from Unsplash by Davide Cantelli
Many of us live our lives on auto pilot. We start our days by pushing the button of our programing, proceeding from task to task with little thought except to move to the next and the next.
Perhaps this is why we so enjoy the novelty of travel, in which each day brings new sights, sounds, and tastes for us to experience. Instead of having to leave our home and communities to see what’s new and different, maybe we can tune our senses to their miracle settings. Maybe we can delight in the wonders around us we often miss out of habit.
EXERCISE:
How can you be far more mindful of the miracles around you as you navigate your days? How would turning on and tuning in to your super senses help you embrace those special moments of living, without ever leaving home?