Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Don't be an Old Dog in the New Year

Life is full of contradictions. As we get older, we're supposed to be getting wiser. Wisdom means learning new things, and yet we buy into the old excuse that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Well, my dear puppies, I'm here to tell you that you can.

Being that the New Year is on its way; and resolutions are flying everywhere, there's no time like the present to learn.


Forget that you "can’t"
That’s the only thing really holds us back; that we believe we can’t do something. Whether it’s situational ("the job takes up all my time"), relational ("the kids! the kids!") or motivational ("I just don’t want to do that...") it all comes down to an excuse not to go after what we want. It seems easier not to do something now, but in the long run, it actually holds us back. Believing in "I can" is the first and most important step. The rest just becomes a matter of "how."

Forget everything you know now
The more set in our ways we become, the harder it is to learn. That' why children learn so much faster than us, because they're more open to everything that comes in. We mustn’t let what-we-know get in the way of what-we-can-become.

Don’t fight contradictions
There are multiple sides to everything in Life… and we only see it from one angle at a time. The opposite angle can really look like it negates the first angle. That's not true; both sides are true. It’s how we look at it that makes the difference. By being open to the fact that contradictions exist, we won’t get stuck on the narrow side.

Try it
Change happens by doing. We learn so much more by experiencing it first hand. Remember, we always have the option of not doing it again, or going back to our old way. Getting out of our comfort zone actually makes us stronger. Even if it's only a tiny toe out into the bigger world, stick your toe out!

But wait, there's more!
It took a long time for us to get the way we are. There was also a lot of other things that helped support our old tricks. Doing something new won't feel right, unless other things in our lives support them. Don't just try one new thing; try all the stuff that goes with it too. That’s the only real way to make a new life for yourself in the new year.

Guru-cise it!

DON'T make a resolution …

Resolutions are just empty promises with built in escape clauses in February. Stay away from the generalized commitments like "going to the gym" or "eating right" but rather focus on a specific TASK or ACTIVITY that you want to add into your life. "Learn to ski" fits right into "getting more exercise" without being "exercise."It has a fun factor built into it, which makes it more likely to happen. It's easier to reach a task that a resolution, so this year focus on the thing itself!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Balance and Harmony

The song of Life isn't just about an equal number of notes, it's about making sure they make beautiful music together.

..............................

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about balance... balancing time, energy, resources and motivation... balancing the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual elements... and kind of ignoring a different aspect of Life... harmony.

Not that I wasn't pursuing it, mind you; I just wasn't finding a place to put it in my lil book. One of my good friends sent me a planner he uses and it just sort of reminded me about harmony. I think they were using harmony like balance, which is good for them.... but since I do see them as different aspect of life, I'm going to continue to search for the best way to get them BOTH down on paper.

Balance is about giving some equality to the different parts of our lives. Work Time and Play Time may not be the same amount of hours, but they ought to be given the same amount of consideration. The same with Rest Time. We really did learn everything we needed to know in Kindergarten, didn't we?

How harmony differs is that each of these times kind of needs to "fit" with each other. They don't have to be similar (we could have a desk job during the week and skydive during the weekend) but they should somehow compliment one another. By that I mean, they go with who we are. If we're a brainiac/weekend warrior, then the desk job/skydive thing is a perfect fit. Harmony happens when each part of who we are gets to resonate every once in a while. Harmony comes when we're wholly satisfied.

It's when we neglect some piece of ourselves that we eventually take notice. It's this little black hole that starts to tug at our attention. Our lives feel less fulfilled when we ignore it.

Remember that even one note unplayed is noticeable amongst a giant symphony. That's why it's important to not only make the time, but make the time count.

Leave no song unsung!

Friday, December 25, 2009

ROTFLMAO

The Modern Day Christmas Card...

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Don't be futile


Out of the Box
Letting go is catching on.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Stuck


Out of the Box
We're our own life support.>

Saturday, December 12, 2009

A Life Without Judgment

It’s not an easy thing to do; especially when we’re taught to have strong beliefs about right and wrong. Everything around us stirs up some sort of opinion. Yet the most freeing thing we can do for ourselves - and others - is to live our lives without judgment.



We only see a little piece

The world is bigger than our senses… and there’s just so much more going on outside our range than we’ll ever encounter. The smaller the picture, the less likely our judgment will be fair and just. With that margin of error, judgment is not a very safe bet.



Disagreement is not judgment

Not judging doesn’t mean with have to agree with everything. We all see Life from a different angle. It’s okay to believe we have a right view of the world, just as long as it doesn’t mean that everyone else has to be wrong.



Judgment hurts us more

When we judge, everything outside our ideal view becomes a threat. We build walls based on fear and insecurity. We become increasingly isolated; and that robs us of fully experience all the joys Life has to offer.



The strongest person doesn’t have a shell. They don’t need one.



A life without...

The absence of judgment allows us to help others easier, because our focus is on them and not us. It helps us to really know someone or something outside ourselves. We aren’t threatened by others and their opinions. We get to see Life as it is; not how we expect it to be.



Guru-cise it!



Stop talking and start asking...



The next time you find yourself passing judgment; don’t rush to say anything, even in your head. Instead cultivate the desire to ask questions; to get to know someone or something else as it is, not how you think it is. Make sure you don’t ask opinionated questions like “why are you doing that wrong?” but rather leave it open like “why do you do that?” or how about just “why?”



Sunday, December 06, 2009

Way to go!


Out of the Box
Distance is relative.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

This ain't it.

There are times in our lives that we look around at all we’ve got, and just sigh. We’re not sure how we got here, not sure where we’re going and not even sure what it is we even want… all we know is THIS AIN’T IT.



That kind of feeling can bring such a feeling of being lost. It devalues everything we have and just makes us want to quit and start over; if only we knew how.



Well, we don’t have to be that drastic, but we have to do SOMETHING before it’s too late.



Define It!

Childhood was filled with such wonder and possibilities. In the blink of an eye, we could be a movie star AND an astronaut. Nothing seemed impossible. Somehow we forgot that. So it’s time to get back to that wonderment. Even if it might be a bit late to become that astronaut, is it really that impossible to fly?

What’s that look like?

John’s a manager in a Fortune 500 company and miserable. He thinks he can’t leave because of mortgage, family, blah blah blah. He loves space and always dreamed of being an astronaut. He’s not going to move to join NASA any time soon. Suddenly a friend mentions that the local Air Force base is looking for a manager…



Is it exactly like his childhood? No… but it’s closer to flying than before.


Build It!

Life is full of good and bad stuff. Just thinking about the bad stuff makes us sad; and isn’t very productive. Paying more attention to the good stuff, however tiny it might be, helps us to nurture it. And there’s only so much time in the day, so the more we fill it up with good stuff, the less time we have for the other stuff to bring us down.



Stop It!

You know, if it really ain’t it, then it just ain’t it… so stop it. You’re not making it any better by keeping at it. If you’ve got the big house and the fancy car and you want the simpler life, go out and simplify your life. If you’re under-skilled and under-appreciated, go out and get those skills; then go where you can be appreciated.



Do it!

It’s not just about positive attitude, and cheerful dreams, it’s all about action; doing things that make a difference. It’s not magic, but the results can be magical.