Author: Jim Gohrick (Page 130 of 159)

There can be benefits and some drawbacks to having a routine. Although most of the time establishing good habits with strong choices and a well-thought out plan followed up by action steps that can be repeated over and over again can make up a daily routine, sometimes we can lose the freshness in the day. The spontaneity.

I’m the master of that sort of thing. I have a tendency to go on autopilot and forget it’s about the ride and not the destination.

We must remember to shake it up every so often as not to get caught in a rut. Even when it’s a constructive rut. For example, going for a 3 mile run everyday is good to stay in shape. However, maybe every so often we should run some hills or sprints or some type of interval training. Yes, it’s probably harder as your muscles are used to running 3 miles and now they need to power you up that hill. But, your body will develop the muscles you didn’t have before. Maybe we look to read a type of book we never thought about reading. Or watching a documentary instead of an action film.

Let’s not forget to keep it Fresh.

I’ve heard it takes years to build up trust and one moment to lose it all in a relationship. Personally, I don’t spend much time patrolling the perimeter of suspicion or engage in any drama because of the toxicity of it all. It doesn’t seem to be a part of my life these days. Part of it is luck no doubt, but mostly it’s because I’m getting better and better identifying healthy people who I chose to surround myself with.

Another helpful aspect of being around healthy people (and I don’t just mean physically) is being healthy yourself. If we live in a world of dysfunction, what do you think we are going to attract into our lives.

I’m always fascinated by people who are constantly running into trouble in their lives. Again, part of it can be chance, but most of it is because of the choices they make. Most people don’t like to hear that because that would mean they are responsible for their lives. That can be too much for some.

I have been lucky no doubt, but also I work hard at identifying and surrounding myself with others who will make me better – as I do the same for them.

But, it is also true that I don’t take other people’s trust in me lightly. I do my best to give them every reason to put that same trust in me tomorrow.

When I was in college I got into a fist fight when I was home for Christmas (not the proudest of moments for me). How did I do? Let’s put it this way, we refer to that incident as “The Christmas I got beat up.” We joke about it to this day with family and my close friends and I’ve always said after that day, “I’m a lover and not a fighter.” The truth is, you can be a Lover – but still know how to defend yourself.

Anyway, nowadays I really strive to come from a place of Love in everything I do. It’s so easy to take the path of least resistance and judge others, dismiss them or tear them down in order to boost your own ego. And when I was younger, I did plenty of that. Today, I have to watch myself so I follow my rule and take the high ground.

We need more than that in this world today. Much much more. But, that’s a good start.

What choices do you make when no one is watching? When you are the only person who will know.

I’ve found that these less than stellar choices from my past come up more than I would like. It can be a challenge to come to terms with these, as I have to live with them knowing I gave up, didn’t give my best effort or wasn’t the best version of myself in that moment.

Believe it or not, it’s these past experiences that dictate much of how I carry myself and make decisions today.

One thing I have learned is this: I cannot go back and change the past, so if choosing not to be the best I can be on a daily basis bothers me as I look back, then I’m left with only one choice: Be the best version of yourself you can be.

There is no doubt we are in a time where gathering information can be quite confusing. Whether it be news or otherwise, it would seem that we have to work harder than ever sifting through the information to get to the truth of the matter in order to inform ourselves properly.

As humans, we often times draw from a particular source in order to get the information we want to hear rather than need to hear.

It’s not easy, no doubt. How do we know the information we are receiving is impartial once we find one a source? It would seem to me, the line between truth and non-truth has become more blurry over the years. I find myself having to make a concerted effort to seek out my information from sources I feel are reliable. This can take time.

And then I think to myself: Am I receiving non-biased information here, or am I being bamboozled as well?

Not sure. But, I’m not going to stop looking. I believe it’s worth it.