What do your behaviors say about you? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.
“Don’t let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.”
“Your beliefs don’t make you a better person — your behavior does.”
“Human nature is like water. It takes the shape of its container.”
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During the holiday season, many people reflect on their lives. Given our amazing time-traveling minds, we easily bounce between past events and future possibilities.
Narrowing our focus on the here-and-now seems to be a wise choice to make the kind of changes we intend.
Embracing our thankfulness for all the big and small things in our lives can turn even the grayest skies blue.
What are some of the wonderful aspects of the present moment?
How can you share your feelings of gratitude with others to change things for the better during the holidays and throughout the new year?
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How would you like to….
If these attributes sound pretty good, you just might want to take up the sport of ping pong!
I am currently in Florida, with a terrific group of very active folks who help each other improve all these abilities, six days a week.
Where do you have a sincere desire to improve a particular skill?
Who are the people who challenge and stretch you beyond your current capabilities?
How can and will you make the time to associate with these people more often?
—Mark Nepo, poet and spiritual adviser
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My wedding band is one of my most precious possessions. It is the only object I’ve worn every day for over 43 years.
When I look at it daily and spin it around my finger, I feel a deep sense of groundedness.
It is a living mirror of my love and commitment to my wonderful Wendy and the life we have created and shared. It represents the fact that we continue to give ourselves to one another and our ongoing promise to be there in both good and difficult times.
We are each other’s person and it is very comforting to know this.
My ring has been fitting a bit tighter in recent years, and I choose to see it as a tighter hug from the person I love the most.
What are the symbols in your life that have the greatest meaning?
What words come close to describing their profound significance and importance?
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I can vividly remember watching The Wizard of Oz as a child. Year after year we viewed the same story and were always left with an uplifted and heartwarming feeling.
As an adult, the story has become even more relevant. Using our heads, hearts, and courage to pursue our passions and purpose makes life even more wonderful.
How and in what ways are you following your own yellow brick road? In what ways are you already the wise wizard to guide you along this path?
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.”
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.
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?
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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.
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.
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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.
How can you sculpt your life by chipping away at more of the non-essential aspects of your world?
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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.
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.