07/01: Begin Again in 2010.
What we put off tomorrow has now become today.
Wow, a new year, and a new decade. Life comes around in a circle. How about for January, instead of starting a bunch of new projects, New Year’s resolutions, etc. why not instead clean up the old projects, finish them, or put them away, or do away with them entirely.
That was my goal, and I started a month early because I knew I had a lot of work to do. I wanted to clean things up; not housecleaning per se, but rather the paperwork, the projects, the clutter around me. The idea was that it would help with the clutter in my head, the endless mental chatter about all the things I have going on and whether I will ever get to them, or finish them, or not. I just wanted to start with a clean slate, the goal being better life management.
I started with some tasks that were easy to accomplish, minimally frustrating, and provided a sense that I was actually getting somewhere with it. I didn't want it to be like “New Year's resolutions” of the past where I started out well intended, but basically things died out by Valentine's Day.
I utilized a technique a friend taught me. They say Art imitates life... and it's true. Creating art has basically three stages: The first stage is the broad stroke, i.e., you decide to paint a landscape instead of a portrait. The second stage is the mid tones. My landscape will have three trees, a river and hillside. Stage three is the highlights. My trees will be maples, my river will have a sandy bottom and my hillside will be sunlit.
I have been applying this technique to diverse aspects of my life and have discovered, at least for me, that I was better off just trying to “broad stroke” everything. With all the demands of life and the constraints of time, it's hard to do a comprehensive effort on everything. It's like I do “courtesy cleaning” (broad stroke) as opposed to my mother. She did “deep cleaning” (broad stroke, mid-tone, and highlight). Aside from a couple of essentials in life such as taking care of your body or raising your kids, what else do you have time to do beyond the level of a broad stroke?
My goal this year is better life management. I need to have a clean slate in order to be more mindful. I believe having all this unfinished business in our lives - all the various projects and ideas in various states of completion - serves to keep us from being in present time. It's a sort of like cooking dinner with leftovers still in the bottom of the pot. But not this year!
Will Nelson is an author, public speaker, teacher, personal trainer, massage therapist, and life coach. He can be reached at http://www.WillNelsonVitalogy.com
Wow, a new year, and a new decade. Life comes around in a circle. How about for January, instead of starting a bunch of new projects, New Year’s resolutions, etc. why not instead clean up the old projects, finish them, or put them away, or do away with them entirely.
That was my goal, and I started a month early because I knew I had a lot of work to do. I wanted to clean things up; not housecleaning per se, but rather the paperwork, the projects, the clutter around me. The idea was that it would help with the clutter in my head, the endless mental chatter about all the things I have going on and whether I will ever get to them, or finish them, or not. I just wanted to start with a clean slate, the goal being better life management.
I started with some tasks that were easy to accomplish, minimally frustrating, and provided a sense that I was actually getting somewhere with it. I didn't want it to be like “New Year's resolutions” of the past where I started out well intended, but basically things died out by Valentine's Day.
I utilized a technique a friend taught me. They say Art imitates life... and it's true. Creating art has basically three stages: The first stage is the broad stroke, i.e., you decide to paint a landscape instead of a portrait. The second stage is the mid tones. My landscape will have three trees, a river and hillside. Stage three is the highlights. My trees will be maples, my river will have a sandy bottom and my hillside will be sunlit.
I have been applying this technique to diverse aspects of my life and have discovered, at least for me, that I was better off just trying to “broad stroke” everything. With all the demands of life and the constraints of time, it's hard to do a comprehensive effort on everything. It's like I do “courtesy cleaning” (broad stroke) as opposed to my mother. She did “deep cleaning” (broad stroke, mid-tone, and highlight). Aside from a couple of essentials in life such as taking care of your body or raising your kids, what else do you have time to do beyond the level of a broad stroke?
My goal this year is better life management. I need to have a clean slate in order to be more mindful. I believe having all this unfinished business in our lives - all the various projects and ideas in various states of completion - serves to keep us from being in present time. It's a sort of like cooking dinner with leftovers still in the bottom of the pot. But not this year!
Will Nelson is an author, public speaker, teacher, personal trainer, massage therapist, and life coach. He can be reached at http://www.WillNelsonVitalogy.com
15/12: Welcome to Vital Thoughts
This is Vital Thoughts, a blog written and mantained by Will Nelson, founder of Vitalogy. He is an author, public speaker, teacher, personal trainer, massage therapist, and life coach. You can visit his site at http://willnelsonvitalogy.com
