Tag Archives | inspiration

Are You Experiencing or Achieving?

By on March 11, 2011 in Personal Growth, Success

We are so achievement-oriented that we often surge right by the true value of relating to what’s before us, because we think that accomplishing things will complete us, when it is experiencing life that will. ~ Mark Nepo

Ok. Who else out there is guilty of this? Uh…pretty much everyone, I think.

I know I succumb to this way of thinking quite often. Don’t get me wrong, achievements and goals are, in my opinion a necessary part of life. It’s all about keeping it in balance. The problem lies in getting so caught up in the quest to get things done and move ahead that we develop a tunnel-like vision.

The rest of life is cast off to the periphery much like the view out your window as you are driving down the highway. You might notice the scenery, the activity and the beauty, but you aren’t really a part of it. You just watch it go by instead of truly experiencing it. Life can be that way sometimes; much too easily.

As we go through our days over the coming weeks, let’s pause from time to time and make sure we are “living” and not just “doing.”

 

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Paris - Musée Rodin: The Thinker

Contemplation is Priceless

By on March 4, 2011 in Personal Growth, Success
Paris - Musée Rodin: The Thinker

Image by wallyg via Flickr

Do you ever take time to just sit and think? If you are like most people the answer is no. Thinking seems lazy and unproductive; a waste of time.  In reality, time to think, dream, plan and contemplate can be one of the most valuable uses of our time. How will we make friends with our inner selves otherwise? How will we conjure plans to change the world? How will we get that inspiration that takes our success to the next level? How will we discover the true gifts of life unless we take the time to turn them over in our minds and fully absorb them?

This weekend set aside some time to just think and see where it takes you. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that it the time well spent.

Never be afraid to sit awhile and think. – Lorraine Hansberry

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Learning is Key to Success and Fulfillment

By on February 28, 2011 in Personal Growth, Success
Icon from Nuvola icon theme for KDE 3.x.
Image via Wikipedia

We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn. – Mary Catherine Bateson

What are you willing to learn? It may not take place in a school or even in a book, but knowledge is all around us, waiting to be absorbed. Do you desire to learn how to more skilled at your profession? How to be a more patient parent? how to be a more considerate human being? How to practice creativity or how about a hobby? Maybe you wish to learn to be more forgiving? Wherever your thirst for knowledge takes you, follow it. That is the path to a fulfilling life.

What are you drawn to learn? Give it a try and see where it leads.

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What Can You Learn From Adversity?

By on February 11, 2011 in Success

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. – Anne Bradstreet

Be grateful for adversity. Challenges encourage us to grow. Crisis nudges us to wake up and do some searching of the soul. Difficulty sweetens the flavor of success. We need adversity to gain strength, compassion and wisdom. Anyone can “exist” their way through life. It takes someone with something special inside to triumph over adversity. Aren’t we all special in some way? I believe so.

Look back over your life. Haven’t some of your greatest lessons come from adversity? Aren’t you stronger than you were before? More capable? Wiser? Those among us who have never known the struggle of adversity, the trials of testing your limits have also never known the exquisite satisfaction of perseverance.

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Know Your Why

By on January 10, 2011 in Success

questionsDo you really know why you want the things you want? How and why did you set those goals in the first place? What is the motivation and who has ownership? Setting goals and objective is absolutely essential, but if you don’t really identify your “why” or your purpose, then you won’t have the clarity and motivation that is required for maximum progress.

This week take some time to contemplate your “why.”

  • Why do you want to achieve a certain outcome?
  • Will it bring about some positive change in your life or someone else’s?
  • Who might be affected?
  • Does it give you some kind of satisfaction or fulfillment?
  • Is your purpose in line with your personal and/or company values?
  • Is this goal or objective even really yours? Or are you just going along with another person or entity’s wishes without questioning?

For more information on setting goals see the related posts.

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Suffrage Parade (LOC)

Honor Those Who Came Before Us

By on November 15, 2010 in Gratitude
Suffrage Parade (LOC)
Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

“Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.” - Albert Einstein

Just for a moment, let’s be grateful to those that paved the road to where we are. I am grateful for those who guaranteed my birth in a free country, those who won me the right to vote, to bear arms, to disagree publicly with my government, to choose my work or to stay home with my children. I honor those who came before me to begin works of charity and organizations dedicated to human betterment, those who cure illness and those dare to blaze new and unknown trails. They inspire me to ask what can I create and what can I give?

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Dear Veteran, Thank You For The Gift

By on November 11, 2010 in Gratitude

The gift of freedom, opportunity and choice that is…

Why am I talking about Veteran’s Day on a productivity blog? The simple answer is, because life is about more than work, more than getting things done, more than being organized and more than being successful. Without veterans and other pioneers and guardians to protect and shape our lives, there would be no opportunities or purpose.

Why is it that young children seem to get this, but we as intelligent adults so conveniently forget? My son’s 6th grade class wrote letters to send to Veterans this week in honor of Veterans Day. Nearly all began with “Thank you for the sacrifices you have made…,” now here’s the important part, “for me.” Yes, that’s right “for me.” These children get that this is personal, not just a day off from school or platitudes we utter and parades we watch once a year.

This is about a personal sacrifice that has been made by millions, 21.9 million veterans as of the end of 2009 to be exact. These men and women had or have families, careers, hopes and dreams. They are our brothers, parents, friends, spouses, children, people on TV, in the office next to yours, the mechanic who fixes your car, the nurse who meets you in the emergency room, the elderly man in the nursing home that no one remembers to visit and even more sadly the homeless man begging for food on your city street.

It’s also personal to many of these children and should be to the rest of us “civilians.” The entire class cried with the young boy who wrote his letter to his Veteran grandfather to place on his grave. They offered sympathy and support to my son as he shared his letter to his Veteran father, currently serving in Afghanistan, through the fog of painful tears of separation. Sometimes children have such an open honesty and a clear understanding of simple things that we adults try to complicate.

Veteran’s Day is not just about “Yeah, we’re free!” though that’s certainly worth celebrating. It is about making difficult, often horrific personal sacrifices for the good of something greater than ourselves.

So, today and every day, I continue to be grateful for all those past, present and future that I am proud to call “Veteran.”


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Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, head-and-shoulders por...

Do What You Think You Cannot Do

By on September 29, 2010 in Success
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, head-and-shoulders por...

Image via Wikipedia

You must do the thing you think you cannot do. – Eleanor Roosevelt

What is it that you always thought you could not do, but would kind of, sort of, really like to do? We all have limits in our minds of who we are and what we can accomplish. What one thing could you do if you had just a little more strength, a little more knowledge, a little more skill or a little more courage? What would happen if you tried it anyway? Let’s find out.

Share what you’d like to do or have done!

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woman questions

What’s Your Motivation?

By on June 10, 2010 in Success

woman questionsWhy are you doing this? This job? This project? This task?

All the productivity tools and organizational systems in the world won’t help you if you don’t take action! But for most people to take meaningful action, which is different from “busy work” there needs to be some type of significant motivation. The really important step here is to know what that motivation is and to determine if it is sufficient and appropriate. Only you can know for sure what works for you, but there are usually patterns of successful and unsuccessful motivators.

Some examples:

I want to lose weight or get fit – this one is almost always on the list

  • Successful motivators – have more energy, be healthier, have less pain, and feel more confident
  • Unsuccessful motivators – to please your spouse or mate, to be happier (just doesn’t work,) to feel superior to others

Ace a project at work

  • Successful motivators – demonstrate proficiency in your job, advance your career, self-satisfaction
  • Unsuccessful motivators – make other members of the team look bad

Care for and beautify your home

  • Successful motivators – have comfortable and beautiful surroundings, take pride and responsibility in ownership, create an inviting atmosphere to entertain and live
  • Unsuccessful motivators – to be the envy of your neighbors, to impress friends or business associates, to prove how successful or wealthy you are

It is impossible to discuss all the ways motivation can and is used both in the workplace and at home, but the point is that it must be there  or maximum productivity and satisfaction cannot exist.

Take a look at the different aspects of your life and ask yourself, “What is my motivation?” The answer may surprise you…

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Do You Have a Bucket List? 101 Things to Do Before You Die

By on February 2, 2010 in Life Balance

listWhat is a bucket list you ask?

If you haven’t heard about the Bucket List, also called 101 Things to Do Before You Die or a Life List, it is simply a list of all of the things you want to do, be or have, places you want to see, experiences you want to live, goals, dreams, etc. before you “kick the bucket.” I believe the term was inspired by the movie, The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman who play terminally ill men that attempt to fulfill their bucket list before they die. (It’s a great movie if you haven’t seen it.)

Why a bucket list?

Life passes us by in a blur of commitments and everyday tasks without leaving much time for thought of what we’d really like to experience in life. Our worst fear is to lie our deathbed lamenting that “someday” never came and we never got the opportunity to do all of those things we intended to get to eventually. The painful reality is that we can’t achieve what we don’t know we want!

How do you create a bucket list?

This week, set aside some time to create your life list and stop putting off your goals, dreams and wishes until “someday.” Ask yourself what you’d like to do before you die. If that is too hard to fathom, then start by asking what if you only had a year left to live? If you already have a list, then take time to review it. Look at it on a regular basis, at least yearly, but I recommend monthly or quarterly. You’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish.

Some questions to get the juices flowing:

  • What have you always wanted to do but haven’t done yet?
  • What would you do if time or resources were not an obstacle?
  • What are your major goals and aspirations?
  • Any places you want to visit or things want to see?
  • What experiences do you want to have / feel?
  • What activities or skills do you want to learn or attempt?
  • Are there any particular people you want to meet in person?
  • What do you want to achieve in the different areas: Love, Family, Career, Finance, Health, Spiritual, and Community?
  • What do you need to do to lead a life of the greatest meaning to you

Some suggestions from other’s lists:

  • Learn a new language
  • Try out a new career
  • Run a marathon/triathlon
  • Take up a new sport.
  • Learn horseback riding
  • Start your own business doing something you love
  • Achieve financial abundance with your passion
  • Be a mentor to someone
  • Try an extreme sport – Bungee jump, Skydiving, Parachuting, Mountain climbing
  • Make a difference in someone’s life
  • Write a book on something that means a lot to you
  • Sing your favorite song to an audience
  • Public speaking in front of a crowd
  • Get a complete makeover!
  • Play a new musical instrument
  • Take dancing lessons
  • Learn a martial art
  • Go on a road trip
  • Fly in a helicopter
  • Go on a cruise
  • Learn sign language
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