Posts by Pat:
You’re Not Too Busy
One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves and others is that we are “too busy.” It seems to be an automatic default, an excuse for when we don’t want to do something (or haven’t done it!)
Too busy?
You’re not. I’m not. We’re not.
We always seem to find time for what we really want to do, even if it’s just “vegging out” Maybe it’s only on a subconscious level, but, hey, that’s still most of where we spend our time!
We’re not “too busy.” Time is everywhere and equally available to all of us. We each get those 24 hours a day, no matter if we wasted yesterday’s or not.
And as Stephen Covey states in this image, we let other people and their urgencies distract us from what we say we want. Excuses come readily to mind when we don’t want to do something. And usually that’s what they are: not reasons, just excuses!
When we say we have no time, we are either unfocused or uncommitted.
We are either chasing too many balls or we’re not honoring
the commitments we’ve made to ourselves and our larger mission.
So, how do you find the time?
- stop scheduling your days to 100%. (try 50%)
- stop watching reruns of those old television programs
- stop playing solitaire on the computer (my downfall is the online jigsaw puzzles)
- stop checking your email every few minutes (try just 3 times a day!)
- stop everything that doesn’t add to your love of life and other folks
What ideas have you used to find the time for what’s really important to you?
Be Careful What You Wish For!
I did it again, and it’s not like I didn’t know better! Yep, this time I was looking at my carefully planned schedule with each day carefully scheduled so that no day would be an overload. I realized that what I really wanted was a schedule that would allow me to not get up in the morning […]
Action Trumps Thought
We are always talking about what we want, what we intend. But these are dreams and wishes and are of little value in changing our mood or our world. We are not what we think, or what we say, or how we feel. We are what we do. The value we bring to our lives […]
Do you have “Triskaidekaphobia?”
Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13 and avoiding using it. Think hotels with no 13th floor! Who knew that this fear appears to be rooted in pre-Christian traditions, when the Norse god Loki invited himself to the Banquet of Valhalla, becoming the 13th guest. His mischief caused the death of Baldr, a favorite of the […]
How to Avoid Stress: Live With Margin
Like it or not, stress is probably here to stay. And a lot of stress can reduce the quality of our life as well as the quality of our relationships. That’s why it’s important that we learn how to avoid excessive stress. I believe that one key to accomplishing this is to live with margin. Margin is the […]
Are You Creatively Maladjusted?
This week we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day for many good reasons, but one thing that stands out for me is his coining of a new phrase: creatively maladjusted. And in a sermon on this topic Martin Luther King Jr explicitly said: Everybody passionately seeks to be well-adjusted…but there are some things in our world to which men […]
The Upside of Irritation
Admit it! At times, we all can be a bit like The Princess and the Pea. Life can offer us so much goodness, but all we sometimes do is get irritated by the few small things that don’t go smoothly. We’ve all been there. We find ourselves so bothered by some experience in our day: […]
Ants and Bees, a Metaphor
Life lessons are everywhere! Let’s look at Ants and Bees as metaphors for our lives. We can learn a lot from watching ants and bees living in community and working for the greater good. More than any other species, ants and bees function as parts of a whole. They cannot and do not survive as individuals; […]
Persistent Starting
Have you ever felt overwhelmed while trying to achieve a goal? I have, and I would guess you have too. That’s why it’s important that you have a good strategy! And one good strategy I have found is “persistent starting.” As Neil Fiore in his book The Now Habit states: “…essentially, all large tasks are […]
Wrapping it up?
What a year it has been! One full of change as well as full of opportunities! Here’s some samples of what I’ve experienced and I’d love to hear what it’s been like for you! For example: We moved from our 3 bedroom home on 1/3 acre into an attractive but small 2 bedroom apartment. That was quite […]