My Time and Your Time
We think about time even when we don't know we are thinking about it. We don't really understand it even though we talk about it a lot. Most importantly, we think that because we can think about it, we have a handle on it, but we don't. If the concept of time didn't exist, how could we think and talk?
Successful People Fail All the Time
Goals and aspirations are fine, having high standards is good, and you can be proud of your high ideals. BUT, while all of these things are noble and worthy, they can be hard task-masters and will surely enslave you unless you hold them lightly. Success comes in many guises, so start by designing one that suits you. Aim to be perfect and to get it right first time by all means, but keep your feet on the ground and hold your high standards lightly.
Personal Values Give Direction
Low-grade threats to our values may seem to be unimpoortant, but take care because they can gnaw away you. One of the benchmatrks of happiness is being true to yourself. That means knowing and respecting your values.
Monday Morning Feeling?
If your job is making you feel down on a Monday and long for Friday, perhaps you need to take a cool and deliberate look at yourself and re-evaluate things. Complaining, even inwardly, only makes it worse. Listen to your intuition and decide what is really important to you.
The Power of Words, and an Exercise
While we are usually sensitive to the power of words we are less so in what we say and think about ourselves. A simple exercise demonstrates this.
Break the Pattern and Soar Like a Starling
Learning to spot patterns of interaction can be the key to repair in a disfunctional relationship. The beauty of this approach is that you don't need to see the overall picture, nor come up with a solution. You simply have to learn to break the pattern. More surprisingly, this works even if you can't actually SEE the pattern. You simply have to step out of line...
Kindness by Degrees at Work
Why we study and what we study seem to be linked to earning a living, rather than preparing us for life. The two are linked, but as so often happens we lose sight of the bigger picture.
What to Use When Things Are Broken
Feelings and impressions are powerful drivers in relationships. Their impact can be creative, or destructive. Usually, we only start to think about things like trust and respect when they are lost or threatened. That's a bit late, but it's never too late.
A year to think
I took a year out to think. I wanted to clear up loose ends and unfinished projects, and to see my way to the next part of my journey. I used the metaphor of "clearing the weeds to allow new growth". Instead of stopping everything, I stopped taking on new work projects. I cleared the decks of the old ones and dropped a couple that were planned. I used my 'weeds' metaphor and people seemed to understand. And now, almost a year to the day, I can see the way...
