This is a quote that stays with me consistently and it nags at me insistently because we have 1000s and 1000s (well research says between 30,000 & 70,000 according to what constitutes a thought) of thoughts every day and how many are “good ones?”
To answer that question means a value judgement needs to occur which ultimately is yours and yours only. The value judgement you bestow here comes from deep down, from your conditioning and from the stories you have built around and from your belief system. So when you judge, beware that it is really about your own, unique responses and mostly not informed by other’s opinions.So you are going to judge every thought every day – no, no that is not the intention – as it would take you an eternity and into a ‘no progress ‘ zone. Be kind to yourself, being mindful of the space, time and position we are in, is paramount to finding those thoughts among the many that we identify and choose to nurture. So the life goals we set annually – what a demanding job that is! Some-one pointed out to me the other day that as soon as one month in 12 is ending, that is 1/12 of the year gone already or 2/12ths, or 4/12ths, (1/3 in fact!). That was a real wake-up call for me as I am only here and now realising what I really want out of this year now! No, not resolutions - they are declarations for the year, as I am declaring them to myself as intended outcomes but if they are not achieved then each individual reason and consideration needs to be examined by itself.This year after a particularly hard last year, I did not want to just arbitrarily put some lukewarm desires on a piece of paper and forget them. Hence, lots of thinking later.
To presume that I might have come up with anything astounding and arresting would be a mistake – I am just juggling all the usual stuff. As well as that, I have been trying to grasp my blind spots, tying to see where I back myself into a corner, some might call it self-sabotaging and unravel that a bit too!
And, by unraveling that – find new inroads to making “resolutions stick and at the same time, workable”.
I have been guided with this by several brilliant women I know. – I live with MSA - P (Multiple System Atrophy - Parkinson’s disease) and have developed many successful life practices that thankfully are slowing down the onset of this disease. Now, don’t feel pity or sadness for me.
I share only to make clear the paradigms around my helpful daily practices a little understandable. I walk and exercise as a big part of my preventive plan.
So, thank you Janet Beckers, a wonderful mentor, http://wonderfulwebwomen.com/ for “health before 10am” which involves for me a 6.30am walk, followed in random order by floor exercise, kinesiology exercise and then a swim later. A good day includes a beach walk in the afternoon. Post 10am, thanks to Winning Edge Consultancy – I now seek to break my day into 3 or 4 sessions of 1 hour & 50mins each. And the accompanying part of that is believing that I can be as productive across the day in these time slots instead of my previous attitude of toil till it's done!
Another hero is Claire of Cluzie Clinic, who has finally made me grasp that being a combination of work alcoholic, midnight wanderer and insomniac is of no long-term benefit at all and does not serve me well. As far back as I can remember I was a midnight wanderer. Yes, my parents would put me to bed with stories or maybe singing but my brain would whirl for hours with lots & lots of exciting thoughts. One protracted thought /dream in particular, was very dear to me until I was in my 20s and started when quite young, maybe 4. A little obsessive I know, but I had a multi-story house in my head that I loved to re-shape, re-plan and renovate and make changes over and over. It became a very comforting and compelling thing to do to visit my house and play spatial amendments.
So, my Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) is to get to bed before midnight and to not procrastinate into early hours of the morning. Change some evening habits to go with that too - change into jim-jams, that sort of thing. I really wonder what my chances are of solving this one, but I really intend to give it a good go!
Things like reading can’t be left to chance anymore but need to be timetabled in.
Too, there are many work practices I have that are healthy, productive and satisfying that I will elaborate about another time. And gratefulness, thankfulness and appreciation are practices I wish to acknowledge more, and engage with more deeply. . . . . . .
The meaty stuff like -
Here are more favourable work practices that might be of assistance to you.
More on health before 10am and wealth after 10am
The single most important key – a to-do list and then a ‘done deal’ follow up document – to hold myself accountable.
Hone work practices to live more in tune with love and my heart
The 2 major pre-occupations for this year seem to be –
to be able to live using the example of a ‘hero’ and express it in a great way
To plum the depths of the power of the heart
A door has opened for me through 2 books I have read a number of times – one is about greater acceptance of me and what is happening to me along my path of living with Parkinson’s and that book is: “Before I forget” by Christine Bryden, ‘How I survived being diagnosed with younger onset dementia at 46’ ISBN 9780670078745, http://www.christinebryden.com
And my story is being diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s at 48.
And the other book is Jasmine Sampson’s recent release, “Growing Business with Soul” IBSN 978-0-473-34215-9. http://www.jasminesampson.com
This year’s questions to find the answers to –
What has been draining my energy?
What excites me now?
What stands in my way from where I am now and where I want to be?
Who do I need to show more appreciation for my real strengths?
If money were no object, what would I accomplish this year?
What new skills and education do I need to acquire – like deeper meditation, video making and editing competence, more study and more movement pastimes like dance and more Qigong.
How will I give back this year – by giving the majority of my spare time just to me?
What is it in me that needs changing? (attend to my heart centre /chakra)
What sort of support do I need to reach my current goals? (Work with a writing mentor perhaps)
How will I stay accountable throughout the year to my vision?
What is the first step to take to achieve the life of my dreams? (daily meditation to find my inner compass or as Lauren calls it - “ true north”and strengthen that relationship {Lauren Clement, Finding Your Brand True North )
Jasmine’s treatise on love ignited my thinking yet again! Her book’s treatment of love has really raised my need to learn more and research the latest knowledge and learning about the heart, a truly amazing organ - the home of a seat of emotion, of personal resilience and of a sense of self-worth and self-love. That now is rising to the top of my mind’s priority list the more I think about it and also come across references to it in everything I am reading.
So, I have adopted the term declarations for myself and wish to remain steadfast in that resolve and keep my compass on point to achieve much greater clarity in the areas mentioned. I am also on the path to finding a diary / journal format that suits me best. I thought I had found one in the “Passion Planner” put together by Angelique Trinidad (Passion Planner) but it is just not doing it for me anymore so that quest continues for me and will be a parallel theme running through this year for me.
How about you?
Do you write lists?
Have you a favourite diary or journal?
What are your thoughts about annual resolutions in general?
Love to hear from you in Comments below!
Be Audacious today,
Nikki
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