Tag Archives: choices

Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what’s left and live it properly

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“Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what’s left and live it properly.”

—Marcus Aurelius, ancient Roman emperor & Stoic philosopher

Image from Unsplash by Usman Yousaf

What does it mean to live a “proper” life?

At the end of your life what would you like people to say about you?

How would you have answered these questions 10 or 20 years ago?

As we age, many of us notice changes occurring in our minds and bodies.

Usually, this a gradual process and most of us come to terms with the finite nature of our lives.

We usually strive to do better and make the most of it.

What if instead of a more gradual process your life was coming to an abrupt end? How satisfied and complete would you feel and what regrets would you experience?

EXERCISE:

The movies Defending Your Life with Albert Brooks and Groundhog Day with Bill Murray offer many laughs and some good examples to consider.

intentions have a shelf life

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“Intentions have a shelf life.”

Image from Unsplash by Maria Lin Kim

When was the last time you went shopping for groceries?

What are the factors that have you select a particular item and place it in your cart?

How often do you examine the expiration dates and perhaps look to the back of each shelf to select the items with the best dates to limit spoilage and waste?

Our intentions are not like Twinkies!  They don’t have an indefinite shelf life in which they stay forever soft and fresh.

Just examine the practice of making New Year’s resolutions and see how many fall by the wayside in weeks or a few months.

EXERCISE:

What are your most important intentions?

How can and will you act on them with urgency in the coming days so that they have the greatest chance of being realized?

Don’t ever work for someone you don’t want to become

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“Don’t ever work for someone you don’t want to become.”

Kevin Kelly, Founding Executive Editor of Wired Magazine

Image from Unsplash by Christina Victoria Craft

How have you been influenced by the great resignation? What is it that makes large numbers of people leave their jobs to pursue other ventures, given the need many of us have for safety and security?

More and more people these days are insisting on thriving, not just surviving. Life is short and we only have one. Experiencing current regrets and projecting them into the future is not acceptable. Observing those around us in distress — and perhaps feeling our own — has many people throw more caution to the wind to chart a new and better course.

EXERCISE:

How good a fit is your current job? To what degree do you admire and respect the leadership within your organization? How proud would you be to see yourself in their shoes down the road? If the shoe doesn’t fit, what then?

“When the path is blocked, back up and see more of the way.”

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“When the path is blocked, back up and see more of the way.”

—Mark Nepo, Author of The Book of Awakening

Image from Unsplash by Mike Cox

How familiar are you with the game of golf? To make courses more difficult, golf architects do numerous nefarious things to challenge and often frustrate both the weekend warrior and even the pros. Beyond making a course longer, various types of obstacles are built into most holes to make putting that little ball in the hole more difficult.

Of all the obstacles that cause the most consternation is the sand trap, which is now referred to as a bunker for political correctness.

Sometimes upon entering one, our ball lies so close to the lip that forward movement with the next shot is impossible. In such circumstances the player must step back from the situation to realize the only path forward is to hit the ball sideways, backwards, or even go back to the tee and accept a penalty stroke.

EXERCISE:

Where are your paths blocked in either your personal or professional life?  How would stepping back from these situations help you see your way forward more clearly?

“The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously.”

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“The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously.”

—Henry Kissinger, Former U.S. Secretary of State

Image from Unsplash by Victoriano Izquierdo

Over the past several years I’ve been fascinated by people who live a sustainable lifestyle. Many live in remote parts of the world, spending the majority of their days focused on providing the essentials of water, shelter, and food.

These hunter-gathers take whatever nature offers, or they go to bed hungry. On many a day they go to bed hungry anyway because nature’s food isles are empty.

Somehow these rugged individuals remain remarkably happy with their lives and limited alternatives. It is also very common that they thank some higher power for providing them sustenance for another day.

EXERCISE:

Where has a life with far too many alternatives cluttered up your mind and caused you distress?

Consider eating a very simple meal with only a few ingredients for one or more of your meals today to see how this might clear your mind a bit.

How might dramatically reducing your choices in other areas of your life offer you greater peace of mind?

What shifts do you want to make to your relationship with food?

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What shifts do you want to make to your relationship with food?

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by The BlackRabbit

The intention of the Quotable Coach blog is to provoke and challenge you to improve your mind, body, and soul.

Pursuing personal and professional excellence to have a gold medal life was my primary inspiration to become a coach back in 1992.

Over the past 18+ months the majority of people I speak with have put on at least a few Covid pounds and seem less energetic and vital.

Beyond our shifts in our exercise routines such as sports and going to the gym, many of us have sought out a bit too much comfort from less-than-optimal foods choices and portions.

Working from home may have reduced our commute but may also have had the unfortunate impact of adding a few inches to our waistlines. Consider how much of your previous wardrobe is still sitting on hangers with the same dry-cleaning tags.

EXERCISE:

Please download a copy of the food target chart from On Target Living website to help you shift food strategies for the better at the following link.

Every morning you have two choices

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“Every morning you have two choices: Continue to sleep with your dreams, or wake up and chase them.”

—Carmelo Anthony, American professional basketball player

Image form Unsplash by Oladimeji Ajegil

What time do you get up in the morning on weekdays and weekends?

How often do you find yourself hitting the snooze button rather than leaping out of bed to pursue your day with intention and excitement?

Fast forward a few hours to the time you crawl under the covers. Recount your day to see if it was a good one or not.

What are the factors that have you give an “A” for your efforts and progress?

EXERCISE:

How frequently do you actually chase your dream and not just contemplate them?

How do your efforts correlate to a far more satisfying sense of engagement and fulfillment?

“When making choices in life, combine cognitive, emotional, spiritual, intuitive, and social intelligence.”

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“When making choices in life, combine cognitive, emotional, spiritual, intuitive, and social intelligence.”

—Bill Burnett & Dave Evans, in Designing Your Life

Image from Unsplash by Matthew Henry

When you examine your humanness, what do you notice? Look again at your first answer and keep digging through your crust, your mantle, your outer core, and your inner core.

Where have you only glimpsed the precious resources within? Where are there new sources of heat, pressure, and magnetism within, waiting to be captured or released?

How would you rate yourself in relationship to your IQ and EQ? Instead of the old paradigms of intelligence, let’s simply determine our capacity to live better by embracing all aspects described in today’s quote.

EXERCISE:

Examine a few of the significant choices you have made this past year. How can the further development of your head, heart, and gut intelligence support you in making even wiser choices today and in the future?

“If your ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step you take gets you to the wrong place faster.”

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“If your ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step you take gets you to the wrong place faster.”

—Stephen Covey, 20th Century American writer & educator

Image from Unsplash by Debby Hudson

What did you want to be when you were little?

Who did you look up to and admire and what was it about those special people that inspired you?

How energized and excited did you feel, given the anticipation of one day climbing a similar life ladder to reach your own pinnacles of success?

What ladders are you currently climbing in your vocational efforts? How confident and sure are you that it is absolutely leaning against the right wall, the one that aligns with your vision and values?

This past year full of economic and social upheaval has caused vast amounts of unemployment. Many people face significant challenges in adequately providing for their families. The transition process has caused many to reconsider if they truly want to get back to climbing the same ladder, leaning against the same or a similar wall.

EXERCISE:

If that scenario resonates with you or someone you know, please consider picking up a copy of the 2020 edition of What Color is your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles.

“And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us, new, untouched, full of things that have never been.”

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“And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us, new, untouched, full of things that have never been.”

—Rainer Maria Rilke, 19th Century Bohemian-Austrian poet and novelist

Image from Unsplash by Age Barros

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes.
How do you measure? Measure a year?

The Broadway show Rent was ahead of it’s time when it premiered in 1996. The cast contained characters who were black, white, brown straight, gay, bisexual and transgender.

EXERCISE:

What would be possible if we all believed in the five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes that is given to us, new and untouched each year, full of things that have never been?

Listen to Seasons of Love