A Peace for Ourselves......

After 15 years, I recently met up with the game of basketball, and we have been inseparable ever since.  I joined a co-ed league within my city of London, Ontario and have been playing with other 20-30ish year old players who are in a similar stage of life and are like-minded individuals who also have great sportsmanship.  My intent in joining this league was two fold: one to get a good workout and second, to network.  I didn’t realize there was a third and crucial benefit of joining this league and that was to feel like a 15 year old again.  I am also drawing similarities between the workplace and the game itself like how…

•        it takes a team to succeed
•        having a strategy can help you focus on how you want to play,
•       groupthink can get a team to lower their guard by dismissing the other team’s strengths,
•        being a cheerleader and positive thinker is much more contagious than being a downer. 

Basketball in helping me return to this feeling of being a youth and opening my mind to observe my world, is my way of giving to ‘me’ and letting the small things go.

In this crazy, busy, awesome life, I realize the one thing that we should ultimately be striving for is balance.  Balance between giving it our best in our careers and with our family, to giving ourselves the gift of rest, laughter and joy.  By finding a way to reconnect with your youth and your passions while balancing  your family and career, is one way….we can get a peace for ourselves!

Taking on 2014....

I am blessed beyond measure!  My life is one of abundance and happiness.  This is not to say that I don’t feel sad or deflated at times, but I know I have it good!  My career, my family, my health, my friends (beyond just Facebook) …..I am constantly reminding myself to take stock of these great assets in my ‘balance sheet’!  Yet despite my joy, I am human and yes, I naturally feel down….however as of recently, I have learned to draw inspiration from those dark moments where I simply don’t feel like my usual happy self.  I have learned that those dark moments are necessary to find the motivation within ourselves to keep the sun shining. 

As this year comes to an end and we wait for the beautiful year ahead, I have taken a bit of time to plan on preparing for those ‘what if’’ scenarios that were spawned in those times of deflation and fear.  I realize happiness is not a destination.  And goals are meant to help us grow regardless of whether we attain them or not.  This is part of my fear – what if everything I hold dear and value today, is gone tomorrow. 

For 2014, my goals are set to nurture the vision of peace, growth and happiness.  I have broken my goals into seven areas of life that work together – 1) Family 2) Social 3) Personal Development 4) Career 5) Wealth 6) Physical and 7) Spiritual.  (For a detailed breakdown of these areas, check out this link http://masteryourlifepower.com/therapies-offered/demartini-method-2/7-areas-of-life/  ) Within these areas, my goals sometimes overlap.  For example – my goal to join Toastmasters is driven from wanting to be a better communicator (personal development) as well as increase my network (social).  My goals are…..well, my goals!  They give me strength and focus and help me want to be better than I have been.

In embarking on your own goal setting. I encourage you to start from a mindset of gratitude (see Gratitude post).  With this frame of mind, you will know what to improve and rationally understand the aspects of your life you despise and want to change.  Be honest with yourself, be creative and know your goals are first and foremost, meant to help you grow! 

For some additional inspiration, check out this awesome kid (who I hope to be like when I grow up) and his thoughts on happiness  http://findlifesecrets.com/what-if-we-made-education-about-how-to-be-healthy-and-happy/

 

Happy holidays and happy journaling, my friends!

A Sunday Reflection on the Meaning of a Meaningful Life

I have been reflecting a lot on what a meaningful life is.  It is easy to be blinded by the media on what success means - a big house, fancy cars, money in the bank etc.  I have been thinking about these variables that I have used before to measure my life and I have noticed these 'variables' I wish to attain have certainly changed as I have changed.

I was asked during a leadership workshop what I had on my bucket list and as everyone listed an exotic vacation, or to own a dream car, I mentioned that if I could grow old to see my daughters grow up and become happy parents, then I would have achieved the only item listed on my bucket list.  Perhaps it is being a parent that has caused these thoughts to strengthen in me but I find myself sometimes slipping back into the clouds of materialism.  Hey, we're all human and desire is perfectly natural.  However, what we practice, we form as habits.  And I have been practicing this feeling of desiring and striving to attain 'variables' for much too long.

Today I had a revelation.....as always, due to my trusty journal.  Meaning from life comes from creating meaning in the lives of others.  Using our creativity for the betterment of this world brings about an inner feeling of accomplishment that transcends any feeling that could be gained from owning a fancy car, or going on an exotic luxury vacation.

Give a lot of yourself,
To receive a lot for yourself.
Have fun, be creative, be daring,
& dream of ideas that encourage sharing.
One day our efforts may mean nothing...
But making this world smile today, definitely means something.

Gautam

Slow your pace.....

Slow your pace…..and you might begin to appreciate your space!

After a long productive week at work, I found myself with a headache and my mind racing.  I have found walking with my dog, Nila, to be a good stress release for me however, my pace has been so brisk that it sometimes just encourages the thoughts from the day to simmer.  Today, was a little different.  I went out for a walk with Nila tonight and my pace was quite brisk as usual, but not for long.  It wasn’t till I entered into the park (pic below) that I felt the beauty of the openness and the wonderful early evening sky give me that ‘aha’ moment.  I stopped, took a deep breath and observed my surroundings…then took a slow step forward and really focused my attention on this simple action.  I took another step and another and while I did, I looked around and NOTICED the beauty of my space. 

This is a journaling blog so I think it would be best if I tell you what I decided to do while ‘appreciating my space’.  I began to think about everything I loved in my life.  From my family, to my work, to my friends to my country….I “loved” it all!   This is an exercise that I actually came up with as another form of the ‘gratitude’ activity but instead of just being grateful, I am bringing to my awareness to the areas that I should invest my time in.  As the amazing author, Dr Wayne Dyer states “Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life.” and this is what I intend to do with the “What do I love” journaling activity is helping me.  Will it be effective for you?  Try it and let me know J

 In your journal, write down everything you love to do and try to do this for 10 minutes.  I normally do this type of activity in point form but the choice is totally up to you. Happy journaling!

Make your day a 10!

Make your day a 10!

A few years ago, I sat in an 'Intro to Coaching' session where the speaker challenged us to evaluate our lives on a scale of 1 to 10 based on several subjects including Health, Wealth, Self-Development, Family, Friendships, etc.  After we put a number down, we were then asked to think about what we needed to do to take that number up a notch.  Example.  If I gave myself a 7 for health, what would I need to lose or incorporate into my day to make that an 8.  It was a powerful exercise and I revisited this idea from a journaling point of view.

Here's how....
At the end of the day, I write down each subject, (example. Health) and  I rate myself on the subject based on how I felt I did today, and then write down why I gave myself this 'mark'.  Then I would write down what I could do tomorrow to make myself get a 10.  And this is where the right side of the brain comes into play.   :-)

The effects of this activity are amazing.  Not only because of the great ideas generated, but it has begun to train my mind to continuously challenge how I would rate my day and I how I could make it better throughout the course of my day.  A friend of mine used to say 'the past does not equal the future' and by catching myself in the day, I can let a day that began wrong, end of right.  We may not be able to control everything, but we will definitely have a stronger part in determining our destiny.

What are some ways that you are making your day a 10?

Why I love to Journal

I was remembering a past career I once had as a journaling workshop coordinator.  My goal was to teach people in groups on how to journal and in my intro, I would always start of with 'Gratitude' as the group's first activity.  In debriefing the activity, the group would agree that they felt amazing after completing this simple exercise of writing everything they had to be grateful for, and doing so in ten minutes.   This is when I would enthusiastically say 'And guess what, everybody!?  YOU made yourself feel great!!!"  A simple journaling activity that can instantly change the way we feel- AWESOME!

The feeling of being drawn into the present moment and having the weight of burden lifted from your shoulders is what I experience regularly when I journal with my heart.   As mentioned in earlier posts, being completely honest with yourself is a requirement for effective journaling....and really being free in general.  However, we may not always have a venue/ear to vent or spill our problems to.  A journal provides a safe way for you to dump your troubles and if you are not comfortable having this out in the open, all you have to do is simply destroy the page you wrote on.  Leading to my other reason for enjoying journaling- it is a relatively inexpensive way to relieve stress.

I came across a fantastic blog post that is quite timely for the new year.  In reading this, I started asking myself questions such as 'What do I enjoy doing that makes me happy?', 'Who in my life can I spend my time with to help me grow and love?', 'What can I do to be in the present moment? ' and so on.  I highly recommend this read and would encourage you to converse with your thoughts in a journal on how you are going to make 2012 a successful and happy new year!

http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/12/18/30-things-to-start-doing-for-yourself/

And for any questions on journaling, please send an email to gautam4life@gmail.com .  And remember, be honest with yourself and speak from your heart.  :)

Take a breath and pat yourself on the back.....:-)

Too often, we work ourselves into a frenzy always focussing on the next step and we lose track of all that we have accomplished.  This is a journaling prompt that I used yesterday, which provided me with incredible energy and validation.  

The prompt: "I am proud of what I achieved today!  Among the many things, I am really proud of..."
and this is where you can create a list in point form or by sentence.  The magic of journaling reveals itself when the user is completely honest with themselves and does not edit their thoughts.   After doing this activity, I felt that I had provided some value to my family, my career, and my.....life!