How often do you let doubt confuse or stop you? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.
“Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.”
“Inhale confidence, exhale doubt.”
“If people are doubting how far you’ll go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore.”
Image from Unsplash by Chris Lawton
With Labor Day behind us and the cooler days with less sunshine ahead, it can be useful to look at our perspective on the seasons.
What comes to mind when you think of the winter months versus summer?
In the animal kingdom various creatures traverse the globe to different climates to pursue food and other necessary resources. Others find ways to hibernate and hunker down for up to six months to ride out the chill.
How do you intend to enter this time of year to support your continued pursuit of personal and professional excellence?
What inner work can you explore to grow more reflective and soulful in the coming months when heading out for a walk may not always be your first inclination?
What are some of the poetic pursuits you intend to include in the days ahead to keep them as lovely as ever?
Image from Unsplash by Rarsai Chaikulngamdee
Are you a pushover? How often do you let others in your world take advantage of you?
Where have you become so flexible to the intentions and interests of others that you have lost your backbone and sense of self?
Let’s face it—It is impossible to get everyone to like us. If you have tried to do so by bending over backwards, accommodating what other want, you are destined to fall flat on your face or at least lose your way.
Where and with whom in your world is it time to straighten and strengthen your backbone?
Where would a boost of personal integrity and resolve to live life on your terms have others look to you for leadership in your various communities?
Image from Unsplash by Ruffa Jane Reyes
In how many ways are you a better person today than you were a year or two ago? If you can confirm that you are, it is likely because of the company you keep.
To what degree do you admire, respect, and wish to be like members of your family, friends and colleagues?
In what ways do they set a good example for you to strive for in your personal and professional efforts?
Alternatively, where do you see yourself plateaued and slipping into bad habits, or falling behind your former self? How have your close relationships played a role in your losing your edge in your pursuit of being your best?
Where are your friendships and key relationships in need of a reboot or upgrade?
How and in what ways can you help those around you level up and benefit from your friendship even more?
Image from Unsplash by Maarten Deckers
We often complicate our lives with a multiplicity of stimulating things, only to realize that we have lost much of our sense of peace and well-being.
Keeping things simple will bring back the calm and serenity you hope to have fully present in your life.
Appreciate the simple elements of life. Look to natural things versus man-made things for lessons.
Simplicity is a source of peace and well-being.
Seek it, and remove the complexities of the world where you can.
What are some areas in which you can reduce or eliminate the complexities of life?
Where would simplifying your personal or professional life provide you the peace and greater well-being you seek?
Where will you begin, and what will be your first few steps?
What are your thoughts and beliefs about the concept of desire? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.
“Don’t wait until you are lost to evaluate where you are going.”
“Desire is half of life. Indifference is half of death.”
Image from Amazon
Being persistent and staying the course is a solid approach to discovery and achieving excellence, offered to us all. These days it seems fewer and fewer of us take this approach. It appears that the pursuit of/grasping for pleasure and comfort and the avoidance of discomfort and pain has softened many of us to far more frequently pursue the paths of least resistance.
Over the years I’ve been repeatedly introduced to the Japanese concept of IKIGAI, which is defined as a central purpose or reason for being. Two of the most common perspectives on this topic relate to either a societal or personal view of life that can drive our daily pursuits.
What is your personal or societal IKIGAI? How has or can it fuel you to follow more of the long and difficult walls of life until you discover and open the doors to your destiny?
Image from Unsplash by SpaceX
Commercial flights into space! For those of us who once envisioned ourselves as astronauts, it seems this dream has an actual price.
Many people today have an increased hunger to explore the edges of life and websites such as www.xperiencedays.com offer all sorts of flying, travel, driving, and other out-of-this-world adventures to those folks with deep pockets.
Since the super-rich are a relatively small group, the rest of us may need to use alternative currencies to realized many of our dreams. Think back to the beginnings of our space program and the currency the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronauts needed to pay for their seat on the rockets to realize their dreams.
What are your current dreams? What price are you willing to pay to realized them? What are some of the non-monetary methods available to all of us to secure our seats and realize these futures?
Image from Unsplash by Maria Teneva
What do you care about?
What are the issues and who are the people of greatest importance in your various communities? Where do you and others demonstrate genuine interest, concern, and effort to improve things?
Alternatively, where do you and others demonstrate indifference to others and the world around you?
Where do you see a lack of concern or interest, perhaps even apathy, relative to the struggles and difficulties around you?
Given the magnitude of the challenges we all face, where can we begin and continue to offer our best efforts to better our world, without turning away?
How and where can you make an extra effort to look more directly at the people you meet today?
Put forth greater attention to show sincere interest and support the full expression of their thoughts and feelings.
Listening with both heart and head—one person at a time—can make a tremendous difference.
Barry and Weston
In late August, Wendy and I had the opportunity to watch our three-year-old grandson Weston for four days. We found it pretty hard to believe that we actually raised two adults—now 36 and 34—given our frequent need to nap when Weston did!
Along with puzzles, toys cars, reading books, and finding clever ways to avoid going to bed, Weston’s favorite toy is Play Doh. Over the years, he has assembled quite a collection of colors, and the other day he had the great idea of mixing them all together.
Being a serious guy, I was sure this was not appropriate. I insisted that he keep the colors separate, which made both Weston and my wife pretty upset.
Upon reflection, I realized that what mattered was the big smile this process brought to his little face, and not the grumpy, rigid method I was holding on to.
What brings a smile to your face?
Take a look at the grins of those you love and consider those smiles even more important than your own.
What can and will you do to bring even more miles of smiles to your world?