Friday, February 19, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
For a great start
I like this article that emphasises on a great way to start the day.Hoping to apply immediately and see if it really helps....seems to be a mix of few proven techniques. As usual, parking it here for review later, may be after a week.
Whether or not we choose to believe it, for the most part you and I have a clean slate with each new sun rise. Whatever happened yesterday, good or bad is now rooted in
the past.
In the moment in which we now find ourselves, we have the ability to focus in on and do the things which will serve us for the better, or we can give our attention to those things
which will re-ignite whatever thoughts were causing us to remain stuck.
We have a choice, and fortunately, it isn't all that difficult to set the tone early on in your day. Does that mean you're guaranteed not to meet with a challenge early on that will knock you off course or throw you for a loop? Of course not, but in the event that something (or someone) shows up with such an agenda you'll find yourself a lot more
prepared to deal with it and be able to adjust course accordingly.
Here are some simple, but effective ideas you can use to start your day out on a positive note.
Upon waking up, name at least ten people you're thankful for - recount those in your life who've had a positive impact on you. Think of those who have in some way helped to make you the unique person you are.
Don't sell yourself short here. No matter what place you may find yourself in now, you're still an amazing person, with unique gifts and talents. You don't have to believe it, but
it's still the absolute truth!
Practicing gratitude is a powerful thing that helps to reconnect us with our inner power, and the abilities which make up who we are.
Give thanks for your talents and skills - each of us has been blessed with special skills and talents. You may not feel as though you've completely developed all of yours up to this point in your life, but that doesn't change the fact that you've got them.
Think through those things that others compliment you on, those are talents. Don't underestimate all the amazing bits and pieces that go into making you the person you are. As you identify and give thanks for the talents that were bestowed upon you commit to develop them and become more proficient in their use.
Write down your days most important action steps the night before - The simple act of writing down the following days most important tasks will give you a plan to move on the
next day. Keep in mind that you can get the most productive mileage if you'll put your "super tasks" at the top, where you'll complete them first.
For the purpose of this article consider Super Tasks as those things which upon their completion will give you the absolute most bang for your buck. Consider the difference
between a "super task" and say one of lesser importance. A super task might be: calling on a prospective client, while one that doesn't quite hold such importance in the grand
scheme of things might be: cut the grass.
While both are important, and you may very well want to get both done, the simple fact is the first example is going to lead towards a greater reward then the latter. You see, it's
more a matter of separating items which fall into the category of "busy work" versus those which can move us forward at a maximum pace. Another such "super task" might
be to spend time studying your industry or chosen profession.
Review the actions steps you wrote down the night before -As you are looking over the items you wrote down, close your eyes and see yourself completing them and experiencing the wonderful sense of accomplishment for having done so.
After you have visualized yourself finishing the items on your daily action list take a deep breath and begin your day working on and completing them.
Keep in mind that each new day is just that -- an opportunity to turn the page, and implement daily actions that can steer your life in the direction you wish it to go.
You can sail your ship, or choose to remain mired in inaction and float aimlessly, dependent upon whatever life may throw your way. My sincere hope for you is that you will
choose the first option.
- It's your life, LIVE BIG! Josh Hinds
the past.
In the moment in which we now find ourselves, we have the ability to focus in on and do the things which will serve us for the better, or we can give our attention to those things
which will re-ignite whatever thoughts were causing us to remain stuck.
We have a choice, and fortunately, it isn't all that difficult to set the tone early on in your day. Does that mean you're guaranteed not to meet with a challenge early on that will knock you off course or throw you for a loop? Of course not, but in the event that something (or someone) shows up with such an agenda you'll find yourself a lot more
prepared to deal with it and be able to adjust course accordingly.
Here are some simple, but effective ideas you can use to start your day out on a positive note.
Upon waking up, name at least ten people you're thankful for - recount those in your life who've had a positive impact on you. Think of those who have in some way helped to make you the unique person you are.
Don't sell yourself short here. No matter what place you may find yourself in now, you're still an amazing person, with unique gifts and talents. You don't have to believe it, but
it's still the absolute truth!
Practicing gratitude is a powerful thing that helps to reconnect us with our inner power, and the abilities which make up who we are.
Give thanks for your talents and skills - each of us has been blessed with special skills and talents. You may not feel as though you've completely developed all of yours up to this point in your life, but that doesn't change the fact that you've got them.
Think through those things that others compliment you on, those are talents. Don't underestimate all the amazing bits and pieces that go into making you the person you are. As you identify and give thanks for the talents that were bestowed upon you commit to develop them and become more proficient in their use.
Write down your days most important action steps the night before - The simple act of writing down the following days most important tasks will give you a plan to move on the
next day. Keep in mind that you can get the most productive mileage if you'll put your "super tasks" at the top, where you'll complete them first.
For the purpose of this article consider Super Tasks as those things which upon their completion will give you the absolute most bang for your buck. Consider the difference
between a "super task" and say one of lesser importance. A super task might be: calling on a prospective client, while one that doesn't quite hold such importance in the grand
scheme of things might be: cut the grass.
While both are important, and you may very well want to get both done, the simple fact is the first example is going to lead towards a greater reward then the latter. You see, it's
more a matter of separating items which fall into the category of "busy work" versus those which can move us forward at a maximum pace. Another such "super task" might
be to spend time studying your industry or chosen profession.
Review the actions steps you wrote down the night before -As you are looking over the items you wrote down, close your eyes and see yourself completing them and experiencing the wonderful sense of accomplishment for having done so.
After you have visualized yourself finishing the items on your daily action list take a deep breath and begin your day working on and completing them.
Keep in mind that each new day is just that -- an opportunity to turn the page, and implement daily actions that can steer your life in the direction you wish it to go.
You can sail your ship, or choose to remain mired in inaction and float aimlessly, dependent upon whatever life may throw your way. My sincere hope for you is that you will
choose the first option.
- It's your life, LIVE BIG! Josh Hinds
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Book: The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
This book is sheer magic in content and style. The first chapter of the book is titled "The End" and the first sentence of the book is "This is a story about a man named Eddie and it begins at the end, with Eddie dying in the sun. It might have seem strange to start a story with an ending. But all endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time"
And the author grips us right there. Right through the story and till the end. The impact doesn't end when the story ends. That talks volumes about the book.
"This is the greatest gift God can give you: to understand what happened in your life. To have it explained. It is the peace you have been searching for." That's the gift that Eddie, a 86 year old war veteran and maintenance man gets which liberates him from his loneliness, guilts, regrets and resentments. He also learns to forgive.
Eddie and the five people who show him the meaning of his life continue to haunt us for a long time. A wonderful story of Eddie that almost unfolds backwards. Chapters about his birthdays act as touch points, connecting the present, the past and the future.
Eddie leads a seemingly wasted life and as we go along his life, we feel sorry for him. His ambitions and optimism get shattered when he is forced by circumstances to take up maintenance of the park, his father's job and becomes Eddie, Maintenance. The war leaves him partially crippled that ravages him physically. His resentment against his father and his interpretation of events leave him bitter.
When he dies and goes to heaven, he meets five important people of his life. He learns important lessons which could be lessons for anyone. What we think is a meaningless life of fixing rides at a seaside amusement park, gets a totally different meaning when we, along with Eddie rediscover the meaning from a different perspective. Life is actually good that can only be spoilt only by our interpretations. We discover that even a life full of dull routine of work, loneliness, and regret has some meaning for someone, in his case the hundreds of innocent children who enjoy the rides safely because of his work.
His shock of finding that the heaven resembles the place where he lived is real. He meets five people, one by one. Each of them reveal a side of his life that he was not aware earlier. As he sees the new angle, he picks up a new meaning.
The author's brilliance shines throughout the book. Some of the quotes about death, life, relationships and other topics are:
And the author grips us right there. Right through the story and till the end. The impact doesn't end when the story ends. That talks volumes about the book.
"This is the greatest gift God can give you: to understand what happened in your life. To have it explained. It is the peace you have been searching for." That's the gift that Eddie, a 86 year old war veteran and maintenance man gets which liberates him from his loneliness, guilts, regrets and resentments. He also learns to forgive.
Eddie and the five people who show him the meaning of his life continue to haunt us for a long time. A wonderful story of Eddie that almost unfolds backwards. Chapters about his birthdays act as touch points, connecting the present, the past and the future.
Eddie leads a seemingly wasted life and as we go along his life, we feel sorry for him. His ambitions and optimism get shattered when he is forced by circumstances to take up maintenance of the park, his father's job and becomes Eddie, Maintenance. The war leaves him partially crippled that ravages him physically. His resentment against his father and his interpretation of events leave him bitter.
When he dies and goes to heaven, he meets five important people of his life. He learns important lessons which could be lessons for anyone. What we think is a meaningless life of fixing rides at a seaside amusement park, gets a totally different meaning when we, along with Eddie rediscover the meaning from a different perspective. Life is actually good that can only be spoilt only by our interpretations. We discover that even a life full of dull routine of work, loneliness, and regret has some meaning for someone, in his case the hundreds of innocent children who enjoy the rides safely because of his work.
His shock of finding that the heaven resembles the place where he lived is real. He meets five people, one by one. Each of them reveal a side of his life that he was not aware earlier. As he sees the new angle, he picks up a new meaning.
The author's brilliance shines throughout the book. Some of the quotes about death, life, relationships and other topics are:
"Death ends a life, not a relationship."
"Lost love is still love. It takes a different form, that's all. You can't see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those senses weaken another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it.
"Holding anger is a poison...It eats you from inside...We think that by hating someone we hurt them...But hatred is a curved blade...and the harm we do to others...we also do to ourselves."
"Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else."
"All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair."
"No life is a waste," the Blue Man said. "The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we're alone."
"Strangers are just family you have yet to come to know."
"You have peace," the old woman said, "when you make it with yourself."
"Love like rain, can nourish from above, drenching couples with soaking joy. But sometimes, under the angry heat of life, love dries on the surface and must nourish from below, tending to its roots, keeping itself alive."
"Heaven can be found in the most unlikely corners."
"People say they 'find' love, as if it were an object hidden by a rock. But love takes many forms, and it is never the same for any man and woman. What people find then is a certain love. And [he] found a certain love with [her], a grateful love, a deep but quiet love, one that he knew, above all else, was irreplaceable."
The book ends with "Each affects the other, and the other affects the next, and the world is full of stories, but the stories are all one."
Absolutely true. We are all full of stories which touch each other 'like pebbles in the river'
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