Message I Needed

I love it when I receive a message that is just what I needed to hear or see in the moment.  One such message came by way of a fortune cookie the other day.  It said:

“Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired”

Why was this the message I needed?   Well, you see, I have a tendency to keep going and going until I am exhausted.  Productivity is essential, even on my days “off”.  While accomplishment, drive and perseverance are great and continue to offer me many benefits in my life and work, sometimes it gets to be too much. 

For me, the word laziness always felt negative to me.  After all, it is the opposite of productivity isn’t it?  Therefore it had to be “wrong” didn’t it?

Though for years I have known that this is not true, seeing it said this way in the fortune cookie put it into a new perspective for me.  It helped me see just  how beneficial laziness can be, just how purposeful.  Yes, laziness is out of my comfort zone, but embracing it helps keep me in balance.

Just the message I needed!

What message have you heard/seen lately that was just what you needed?

The Other Side of Organized

I just finished reading The Other Side of Organized by Linda Samuels.  This is a book filled with Linda’s personal stories and client experiences that covers thoughts, ideas and examples of what we all go through in our quest for better lives.   This is not just a book about organization, but one of reflection about life and how we are living it. 

Some of her passages that really “spoke” to me were Life Without Computers, The Mind Diet and Experiences Instead of Things.

Life Without Computers for me is as Linda shared – the balance between online and offline work.  I still use a good old-fashioned paper planner and most often write my blog entries and articles using paper and pen.  I have noticed that my creative energy flows more freely when I am away from my computer.  The activity of writing is also more pleasing and fun for me that way.  It makes me look forward to it rather than have it feel like a have-to.

In her passage The Mind Diet, Linda talks about the importance of doing what we have been thinking about.  She says “when we finally decide to act on what we’ve been pondering, it feels great and doesn’t seem so intimidating”  This mirrors the work I do with my coaching clients.  So often we have so many thoughts running through our minds about what we are wanting to do, especially when it involves some change in our life, that we become overwhelmed and stay stuck.  When we take one step, sometimes any step, toward our goals, it is incredibly freeing!

In Experiences Instead of Things Linda reflected on her daughters request one holiday season.  This touched my heart as it is a practice I have been engaged in for many years – during all holidays, birthdays and just any day.  Experiences are, for me, what I remember more than any tangible gift.  The experience of trying something new, spending time with someone special, seeing new places (or the same places from new eyes)… 

Linda’s book will get you thinking (something you all know I love)!

Snow Day

Growing up in New York, I always looked forward to “snow days” when I would be off from school or later when the university I worked for would be closed and I would have a whole day to play.

This weekend in North Carolina we had two such snow days.  Yes, it was the weekend so I was already “off”, but a nice thing happened on Sunday – our power went out just as we were starting our day.  How is having no power nice?    It brought us to a halt with our usual “to do” list for our day off.  My husband and I love being busy and productive so we often spend our Sundays cooking or doing home projects.  This time we could do neither –  we could not even shovel the snow since it was a sheet of ice! 

What did we do instead?  We sat looking out the window at the pretty snowy landscape.  We talked for a while as we sat in front of the fireplace keeping warm (no power meant no heat for us).  We played Monopoly for several hours – something we had not done for years! 

The power came back on in the middle of all of this, but we stayed where we were playing since we were having so much fun!  What I learned this weekend was just how much we need to create our own “snow days” once a month.  A day with no technology, no television, no projects.  Just pure play!