Balance - You Deserve It

T

Texas springtime is fleeting - it lasts only a few weeks. This year we were lucky that the rain and weather were just right for lovely fields of big, fat Bluebonnets. I spent a whole day to drive to Ennis and enjoy their annual Bluebonnet Trails and Festival. And I note that I took this time off "to smell the flowers" with not a hint of guilt.

Taking charge and getting moving is not only about career, business, and the things we typically consider related to success. At the end of our days, the reckoning will be about the quality of the journey, how much love we brought into the world, and who we became as human beings, not just the accomplishments of a human DO-ing.  

The challenge for most people facing difficult situations, like the current economy or job seeking, is to let go of the fear long enough to create balance in life. It doesn't just happen, we have to make a space and a plan for balance. Maybe frolicking in the wildflowers isn't for you ... but there is something that you enjoy, that takes time, and that you have probably been talking yourself out of doing. 

Find a way to put fun and play into today. Play with a child or a puppy. Get your hands dirty doing something out of your ordinary routine. Sit quietly outdoors and listen to the birds or the sounds of traffic. Breathe.

Take Charge -- Get your Balance -- then Get Moving

Love and light,

Diane

What do you see?  Maybe you see a flat plane folded in on itself; or a sea creature; or colored, short, sharp pencils glued together. Whatever you see and experience is affected by your perception made up of past experiences, knowledge, emotional state, and physiology. Art is compelling because it expands perception and stimulates our emotions and our curiosity.

What are you experiencing in your life, career, work, or relationships? Your perception is affecting  that experience in much the same way as your experience of the art piece. If you see your situation as a struggle, impossible to change, difficult, or frustrating ... that's what you'll experience.

It is a mixed blessing, this "being responsible" thing. It means we need to let go of being "at the effect of" circumstances and embrace the fact that we are "at the cause of" how we perceive what happens in life. Are we responsible for the state of the economy in 2010? NO. Do we have a choice about how to respond to that circumstance? I believe we do.

Look at the photo again and notice your perceptions. How can you apply this to your situation today?

Take Charge -- Get Moving!

Love and light,
Diane

What am I doing? 

What is the most valuable thing I could be doing right now?

There are so many things calling for my attention. I often find myself starting down the path of productive and strategic action, and then go off on a rabbit trail that’s interesting but not the best use of my time. At the end of the hour or the day, I pay the price for that side trip in the form of frustration, stress, incompletion and negative self-talk. The bottom line is that getting distracted is not worth it, and I am the only one who can change the behavior in me.

It is not hard to get started most of the time. Goals, schedules, appointments, and the pressure of commitments to others is enough to get me going. So how do I stay on track?

First thing I do is: STOP – Start To Observe Purposefully. Then I notice what I am doing and ask myself a Choice-Question: What am I doing? What is the most valuable thing I could be doing right now?

From that question I reclaim control of my wandering thoughts, feelings, and actions. Even if I choose to go a little further down the rabbit trail, it is my decision how long to do that before returning to my strategic path. 

Pre-decided action, decisive action, chosen action – all lead to better results and a sense of satisfaction. You don’t have to eliminate the distractions … just use them better to get where you want to go.

Take Charge – Get Moving!

Love and light,

Diane