Simple Solutions for Success, growth and balance
A discussion was recently posted to one of my LinkedIn groups asking us to describe our lives in six words. Inspired by the Six-Word Memoir Project, it created a very fascinating discussion. If you could only use six words to tell your memoir and communicate your life to someone, what would they be?
My response… Work hard! Play often! Love much!
How about you? Can you sum up your life in six words?
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“Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.” Eddie Cantor
Slow down! You may be missing something important…your life.
This time of year it’s more important than ever to slow down and enjoy your life. Unfortunately for most of us this is also the busiest time of year; shopping, wrapping, socializing and we still have to keep up with our work obligations and family responsibilities. It doesn’t leave much time for holiday cheer, let alone, time to take in the scenery.
Unless we make a conscious decision to do so. You can make excuses all day long. In the end the choice is yours. As a “busyholic in recovery” I can tell you that I get it. I understand the avalanche of tasks, the never-ending demands, and the bottomless inbox. I get it. I really do. But to what end? Where are you going and why?
I can tell you where I am going!
I am going to sit and enjoy one more Christmas concert and actually listen to the children singing and playing their hearts out instead of lamenting over the chores that are waiting for me at home and what I could have gotten done if I didn’t have to attend.
I am going to sit and play Othello and Battleship with my son in front of the fire instead of making one more trip to the mall for that “perfect” present.
I am going to cuddle and rock my smoochable grandbaby instead of trekking back up to my office late at night for one more work session.
I am going to drink coffee with my husband and watch the snowflakes fall instead of checking my email on a Sunday morning.
Where are you going? Can you slow down and enjoy your life more?
If you think of life in terms of a game, then perhaps you should give yourself a score of some sort. How else will you know how you’re doing?
And really why shouldn’t you? Despite the fact that it is often serious and at times difficult, life really does play out much like a game. We compete against each other and sometimes work in teams. We try to accumulate possessions and titles as if they were points on the scoreboard. We advance by a combination of choices, strategy and sheer luck.
So why shouldn’t we get a score?
Only in this case you are the only one who can decide how many points you are awarded…
Let’s have some fun and find out how we are doing at the game of life.
Give yourself from 1 – 20 points in each of the 5 areas based on how well you think you are doing.
Health – How is your health? Consider your weight, diet, fitness and energy as well as any health problems you may have.
Relationships – How are your relationships? How deep and fulfilling is your relationship with your significant other, your children, your parents or your siblings. How about your friends?
Career – How satisfied are you with your career or business life? Are you content? Are you contributing meaningful work? Are you doing something you enjoy? Are you being valued appropriately?
Happiness – How happy are you? Really? Do you feel good about your life? Do you have a hopeful, positive attitude? Do you feel a sense of balance or are you feeling unstable or overwhelmed?
Money – This is not about how much money you have, but with your perception of it. Do you have enough money? Are you responsible in your managing of your money? Do you feel secure about money? Or are you always worried?
Now add up your score in each area to get your “Life Score.”
Your score is yours alone. You do not have to share. It’s not about comparing or competing with anyone other than yourself. You decide what it means and what, if anything, you’d like to do about it.
My scoring guidelines:
75-100 – You are either lying to yourself…or you really know what you want out of life and are making good decisions and taking consistent action to keep moving in a positive direction.
50-74 – You are probably making good choices much of the time and may have some idea of what you want out of life, but there is room for improvement. You may have a nagging health issue or be worried about money or unhappy in your career. Or you may just be juggling everything pretty well, but feel that you can do better.
25-49 – You probably aren’t really clear on what you want or what you should be doing. You know that your choices could be better, but you just can’t seem to take consistent action toward your goals. Or you are so focused on one aspect of your life that the others are completely suffering. You could use some help.
0-24 – You desperately need help! You are totally missing out on the fullness of what life has to offer you. But you can make changes. It’s not hopeless; not at all.
How did you do? Are you happy with your life score?
If you are…. Congratulations! Good job!
If you’re not… You can do better. Change is possible and it’s doesn’t even have to be that hard. You might benefit from coaching, from self-discovery, life planning or clear goal setting. The good news is that much of your life is within your control. Yes, there is an element of luck and circumstances, but to a large extent you have the power.
Your power lies in your choices, your actions and your attitude.
How you use that power determines the outcome and experience of your life.
Care to share? How satisfied are you with your life score? What will you do about it?
Question everything, move forward, enjoy the journey.
Image via Wikipedia
Today would have been my father’s birthday. It is on days like these when we reflect on those we have loved and lost. And perhaps wished we had listened to a bit more often. Our relationship was often complicated, but valuable, as I think are most of our relationships with our parents.
As I think back on the many things I learned, I have unearthed some pearls of wisdom to share:
Do you have an lessons you’d like to share? What did you learn from your parents that has been valuable advice?
Question everything, move forward, enjoy the journey.
Generally I am lucky to barely even glance at the word of the day as I peruse my feeds, gadgets and daily morning intake of information. Today however, I was struck by the sheer audacity of the word. Saunter.
Saunter (verb) Walk leisurely and with no apparent aim.
Synonyms: stroll
Usage: The teacher watched his students saunter back into the school building after lunch, apparently in no hurry to get to class on time.
Yeah right… When was the last time you saw anyone saunter? Do we dare? Do we even know what that means anymore? This life, this world we live in, this culture of busyness we are immersed in does not allow for sauntering anywhere. Not at home, not in public, certainly not in the workplace.
Our children have never learned to stroll, as adults we never slow our pace, even the elderly retired folks I know seem to be in a hurry on their evening strolls. What has happened to us?
Perhaps we can’t return our lives to the slower, less stress-laden pace of yesteryear, but could we at least try it once in awhile?
This week, saunter somewhere, anywhere, just to show you can.
I dare you!
Guest post from David in Australia!
Everyone is feeling overworked these days. But stress relief is on the horizon. Take a look at these ten tips on how to avoid that guilty feeling that you’ve been overworking yourself beyond what is good for you.
1. Stop Complaining
If you think you’ve got too much work, the most important aspect is how you react. If you do nothing but complain, think about how you react to someone else complaining about their job. Stop your complaining before your life is ruined. Remember, complaining is a toxic poison that will kill you. Top performers do not talk about how they’re being overworked.
2. Prioritise
Prioritise your work by realising what work you have to do, what work you should do, and what work you can skip doing entirely. No matter how much you think you can do everything, realise that doing everything is simply not possible. Cutting corners is not something to avoid; embrace the fact that you cannot do everything all the time.
3. Organise Your Time
Your time is your most valuable resource. Use a system to set up your tasks for every day, week and month so that you can see your commitments at one glance. Set aside some time every week for leisure time, for family time, and for hobby time. Take time for a vacation, and keep your personal relationships at the top of your list.
4. Cut Back on Busy Work
There’s that work we all have to do that does nothing to produce what we want. Concentrate on the 20% of the tasks on your To-Do list that return 80% of the profit. Don’t worry that you’re ignoring work; take pride in these unproductive work tasks you can forget about because you let them fall away. Delegate if you have to.
5. Stop Working
Keep track of the time you spend working, and do not let the rest of your schedule suffer. Understand that an extra few hours you spend on work when you’re exhausted is not worth the effort. Get a good night’s sleep, and come back tomorrow to that task refreshed and better able to do what needs to be done.
6. Dedicate a Space
Besides dedicating time and effort for work, set aside a workspace where you do your work. Let everyone know that when you’re in that spot, you are working and the DO NOT DISTURB sign is up and blinking away in bright neon. It goes beyond privacy; it’s all about focus on the task.
7. Set Expectations
Let your co-workers, your manager or supervisor, and your clients know what they can expect from you. Tell everyone what your commitments are at the start of any task related to them, what your boundaries are for that task, and the structure of the working relationship. Be ready to stand by what you say.
8. Learn to Say no
In conjunction with the last tip, learn how and when to say “No.” If you take on a task that will eat up all of your time and effort, yet you know you cannot commit those resources, have that word ready. Think of alternatives, though. Can you pass the job to a freelancer looking for work, or out-source the job?
9. Talk and Listen
Having someone just listen to you is great. Cultivate friends and colleagues and even mentors and managers who will sit down and listen to you unburden yourself -remember, no complaining. And be ready to return the favour and let your ear be available for them.
10. Stay Healthy
Do not take your health for granted. Sleep, diet and exercise are all important, and must be fit into your schedule. Get at least five hours of sleep a night – we know no one has enough time every night for eight hours. Eat good healthy food, and avoid the unhealthy stuff as much as possible. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Get fit and stay that way.
This post was written by David who is co-founder of one of Australia’s leading comparison websites where he contributes reviews of credit cards for many of the best business credit cards offering rewards such as cash back and frequent flyer points.
Freelance writer & Life Success guide. I write about a broad range of topics and serve as your guide to the fullness of life. Read more...
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