Month: January 2023 (Page 2 of 4)

1. A virtue coming from God

2. Disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency

3. A charming or attractive trait or characteristic

4. A pleasing appearance or effect : CHARM

5. Ease and suppleness of movement or bearing

Who couldn’t benefit from such gift given to others or one bestowed on oneself.

Sam Harris so succinctly articulated that no matter how many times we repeatedly do something in a day, month or lifetime – it is a finite number. Eventually, we will not do that task, chore or have that experience again. We will have done it for the last time. When that is, we don’t know.

Soaking that all in, certainly re-frames the way I look at my day. My year. My life.

Sometimes, I can get caught up in the repetitiveness of things and miss the opportunity to truly engage in the moment. Why? I have a misconception that I will be doing it forever.

There is definitely benefits in contemplating our mortality. This is one of them.

Reminding ourselves there is a ‘last time.’

Maybe, just maybe it will gently nudge us to find value in what we’re doing. Even if we’ve done it hundreds of times before.

As this time could be the last.

I’m wrong a lot and I know it.

I’m wrong a lot and I own it.

No one knows everything.

Everyone knows something. And it might be more than me in a particular area. So, let’s be open to listening to what others have to say.

Let’s find the experts and the information and learn from them.

There’s nothing wrong with being wrong.

But, let’s understand ignorance isn’t a solution or an excuse.

So much of what we do in a day can feel like we have no choice and we have to do it. Sure, the reality is we probably need to engage in tasks we may not find the most enjoyable, but nevertheless, need to get done.

Maybe we can find a way to get pleasure out of these moments or maybe bring pleasure to them. Or said another way, being able to find the pleasure in our work.

That sounds possible. Even if it’s a task such as cleaning the kitchen, we can find ways to make the experience pleasant. Whether that’s listening to music while we work or having the TV on in the background or even listening to an audio book, we can find ways to enjoy ourselves in that moment.

So, when my wife thanks me for cleaning up after dinner, I can honestly and genuinely respond, “my pleasure.”

We can find power and comfort in our routines as this is how we move mountains.

Finding effective and manageable tasks we can repeat over and over again that fall in line with our big audacious goals can be the difference between hitting the mark or getting frustrated and falling off the cliff of despair.

The same can be said for routines that hold us back – whatever they may be.

The key is to identify which direction our routines are taking us: towards our goals or away from them. On a road leading us to where we want to go or a path to a dead end where we don’t want end up. We can then make adjustments to what we place our attention on.

Let’s not underestimate the power of our routines. Positively or negatively.