I woke up feeling unusually inspired about "life improvement". It started when I watched a hilarious video "Like a boss" with my girlfriend yesterday that had me laughing so hard I was in tears. We listened to that because Bushwalla at the Jason Mraz concert in Berkeley had people turn around and get to know the people next to them at the show. My girlfriend and I ended up talking briefly to another couple and this came up, so I watched it.
Anyway, this led me to re-ask the question I like to ask myself from time to time:
How would you spend a perfect day?
      |
My first impulse is to describe the perfect hedonistic day: You know, spend the day making love on a beautiful island beach, eating the best food in the world, getting treated like royalty.
Don't stop there.
Go to the next step. Ask: Would the perfect day you described still be your perfect day if you had to repeat every remaining day of your life?
Think about that.
Wow, okay, must refine the vision!
I'm not knocking hedonism, but a sustainable template for a perfect day would need to include, as my friend Denise says, things that build you up, not break you down.
What is your motor?
What motivates you? What, mainly, drives you?
If I look around at the people in my life, I can see their main motivators: Some people seek Money. Some Power. Others Music, or to Escape. Answer quickly, what drives me?
If you don't know, ask some of your friends.
The point of this self awareness is to find balance. If you spend too much of your time being driven by your main motor, you may miss the chance to build up in areas you should.
Are you balanced?
What is the perfect day in the life of the "whole person" you want to be?
What will you do for your Health today? For Love? Education? Connection with others? Creativity? Organization? Simple pleasures?
Pulling it all together.
There is something I call the gift of the bottleneck of time.
Luckily for us, (neglecting the many universe interpretation of quantum physics) we can be in only one place at one time.
One of the great gifts of human existence is that if you do not choose a path, one will be chosen for you. You don't have to do anything. If you happen to already be pointed in a good direction, this is great! You can coast down hill all the way.
Look all the way to the horizon.
You don't have to plan your life every day. Do it, then enjoy the peace that follows.
If you stand up straight, perhaps even climb a tree from time to time, you can look out and see the lay of the land. You may have to walk uphill for a bit in a new direction, but once you create new habits, you will be on a new path. And then, it is easy.
In terms of money, earning your first million is difficult, the next million is almost unavoidable.
In terms of connection, real self love requires work, perhaps changing long standing habits, but once you find and taste your first slice of the inner peace pie, you become a Love Chef, feeding the world.
Small steps in a new direction
If you do what you've always done, you will get what you've always gotten. What will you change?
Rather than cable TV, I should pay for the voice lessons I've been wanting.
No comments:
Post a Comment