Monday: Oct 24, 2009: Live Life To Its Fullest!

Live life to its fullest!

Now I know that with the current economic climate, hectic pace of trying to do business in a depressed market, the pressures of handling routine matters combined with the unplanned interruptions and unexpected setbacks can grind even the most highly motivated individual down. Unless we guard against it the velocity at which time moves and events unfold can deplete our energies and leave us dreading tomorrow.

While there is no magic incantation or elixir to rid us of our economic woes, the pace of modern life or the daily stresses that so easily sap our vibrancy and vitality, it is possible to develop an inner calmness and sense of enthusiasm in the midst of even the most trying of circumstances.

The first step in doing this is to INSULATE YOURSELF FROM THE RAVAGES OF THOSE THINGS THAT CAN DISTROY YOUR SENSE OF BALANCE!
Our home in Tulsa was built in 1927, of course it has undergone a lot of changes since then. When the central air conditioning and heating system was installed, the entire house was reinsulated, the result is that our heating and cooling bills are half what most people have for the same (or more) floor space.

Insulation will not stop the scorching heat of Oklahoma summers or eliminate the cold winds that blow in the winter. What the insulation does is keep the extreme heat and cold from penetrating the walls and attic. While we still need air conditioning in summer and heat in winter, the insulation allows us to avoid extreme changes in interior temperature due to what is happening outside.

In the same way, we can insulate our minds from those things that happen in our lives that can cause extremes in our ability to live life to its fullest. This means that regardless of how extreme external pressures or events become, we have a calm center that allows us to respond to the situations we face without losing our capacity to experience life in depth.

One way this can be done is to have priorities that allow us to enjoy life. A person I know once told me that he had discovered that the most disturbing things in his life were self imposed. He was always putting himself under pressure to perform, competing with himself, setting deadlines he knew were impossible and taking on more than he could handle. The result was that his was a life of constant stress and anxiety.

One Saturday as his wife took his son to play baseball (and he remained at home to meet one of his self imposed deadlines) it dawned on him that his priorities were out of whack! As he began examining the things he felt were important, he found that many of them were, as he put it “Routine” things that he had elevated to “Important”—not because they were important but because he was driving himself so hard.

Once he realigned his priorities, he found he did better work, completed projects in a more timely manner—and most importantly he had time to live life to its fullest, with vibrancy!

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be successful, competing with yourself, challenging yourself to be better than before, and striving to give the best effort possible. The problem comes when we find ourselves becoming slaves to certain priorities to exclusion of other things that can not only add enjoyment to life, but provide a break from the pressure of seeking excellence.

Another form of insulation that can help us keep the balance needed to live life to its fullest is to FOCUS ON THE OPPORTUNTIES in events. When something unexpected happens or we experience a setback we have a tendency to focus on what we’ve lost rather than the opportunity that the event or setback can give us.

Thomas Edison, the man credited with so many inventions had this ability to focus on the opportunities in life’s setbacks. According to a number of reliable sources, his response to a fire that totally destroyed his laboratories was “All of our mistakes have been destroyed, now we can begin again.”

Obviously, Edison wasn’t saying that everything lost in the fire was a mistake, what he was saying was that he and his engineers would have to rethink everything they had been working on, without the notes containing mistakes that might lead them down the wrong path, thus costing them time and money.

So this week, as you encounter those unexpected setbacks during the week focus on the opportunities they present rather than letting them rob you of your inner calmness and the vibrancy that living life to its fullest can bring.
Have a Great and profitable week!
Robert Hidde
bob@confidentliving.com