Yesterday was Monday and, as usual, I had a long list of things to do. Guess what, I didn’t do any of them because we took the day off and went to the coast. Not only did we have a wonderful time, but the whole experience left me feeling refreshed and more centered.

I found myself thinking how ironic it is that we only live an hour from the beautiful southern Oregon coast and yet we rarely go there. Considering how much we enjoy the experience, it seems almost inexcusable that we don’t make the trip more often.

How about you?

How often do you unplug from your regular routine and take a little time to relax, recharge, and just enjoy yourself? For productive people, this can be one of the greatest challenges to living a balanced life.

How many times have you put your personal needs on the back burner while you allow other, more pressing activities to become your priority? And when you finally do take time for a much needed break, how often do you find yourself wondering Why did I wait so long, what was I thinking? In a case like this, shifting your perspective will often make the lack of balance more obvious.

Let’s face it, no matter how much we get accomplished, there is always one more thing that absolutely must get done. In reality, the list is never ending. Therefore, postponing your personal time and making it dependent on getting everything else done is not a viable solution.

Appreciating the benefits of a perspective shift

I think we all recognize the importance of taking a break from productivity to maintain a healthy sense of balance in our lives. But this same kind of balancing act can also benefit us in almost every area of life. When we intentionally change our focus, we also shift our perspective. Doing so allows us to see things from a new and potentially beneficial vantage point.

We could use eye health to illustrate the practical benefits of such a perspective shift. If you read or stare at a computer screen for too long a period of time it strains your eyes. If you do it habitually it can eventually harm your vision. So, what do eye specialists suggest? They recommend that you regularly shift your focus and spend a few minutes looking at something in the distance. Do you see the similarities?

Don’t let fixation shrink your world

I don’t know about you, but speaking for myself, I have noticed that sometimes there is a fine line between focused and fixated. What’s the difference? When we focus on something so much that it throws everything else in life out of balance, we have ventured into the land of fixation.

Being fixated involves an obsession. It’s the difference between a productive person and a workaholic, or a fitness enthusiast and a gym rat. If we allow any single area of life to create an obvious imbalance in every other area, it will shrink our world and narrow our perception.

Granted, short periods of very intense focus may be the only way to accomplish important goals. In such cases, we need to keep an eye on our overall balance and be willing to rein ourselves back if the wheel of our life gets out of balance and starts to wobble.

5 areas where a perspective shift helps create balance

Here are five areas of life where we can give attention to our focus and initiate intentional shifts in our perspective to help maintain our sense of balance.

1. Balance work and play. We’ve already covered this pretty well, but it is an area that deserves careful monitoring. This is especially true for very productive, over achiever types. It is also valid for those who tend to put recreation ahead of everything else in life.

2. Balance mental and physical activities. We’ve all heard the expression move it or lose it and this applies equally to our mind and body. Never forget that the mind and body relationship is very synergistic. If you ignore one, the other will suffer. Don’t deceive yourself into thinking that you don’t have time to eat good food and get regular exercise. The truth is you really can’t afford not to.

3. Be an observer and a participator. There are incredible benefits to carefully observing the world around you. It is one of the primary ways that we learn. But there is something that we should never forget – life is not a spectator sport. Life is for living and that means that we need to fully participate if we want our life to be a rich and rewarding experience.

4. Balance macro and micro focus. This means that we need to make an effort to see both the big picture as well as the details. If we focus exclusively on details we might become like the person who can’t see the forest for the trees. On the other hand, if all we look at is the big picture we will miss the richness of life that comes from appreciating the intricacy that make the big picture possible.

5. Balance interaction with solitude. Being around other people can add so much fullness to life. We are social creatures and the need for different levels of connection seems to be hardwired into our nervous systems. But it is in solitude that we connect with our deeper self and have time to reflect on and appreciate our place in the tapestry of life. Don’t forget to take time to be alone with your thoughts and connect with your true self.

Do you struggle for balance in any of these areas?
How do you use a shift in perspective to create balance?
The lines are open!

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Because life is such a multifaceted experience, achieving balance can be an extremely difficult challenge. Let’s face it, there is a lot to do and only so much time and energy to go around.

I’ve often thought that it would be nice to have an extra day in the week. Not just a normal day, but one that wasn’t counted and didn’t show on the calendar. Imagine, a totally free day to use however you wanted. What would you do with your extra day? Here’s something else to think about…

Why does the “free day” concept sound so good?

Isn’t it because there never seems to be enough time for everything? And why is that? It’s because we let work expand to fill the time available. This is why we convince ourselves that more time would solve the apparent shortage and allow us to get everything done. But is that really what would happen?

I don’t think so!

You see, if we only had six days in a week, then we would say the same thing about the possibility of having seven. Oh, if I only had an extra day so I could get everything done. It wouldn’t matter if we had 8, 9, or even 10 days in the week, we would still let work expand to fill the time available. That’s because…

Productive people always have a backlog of things they want to get done. That’s a good thing, unless we try to squeeze them into our schedule too tightly. When we do that it changes the dynamic of everything. You can only pack so many “to do things ” into your day before something has to give.

Compression always creates a rise in pressure

Doing more, more, more is not the answer. In fact, neither is continually operating at maximum capacity. There’s a name for that approach. Maybe you’ve heard it, it’s called STRESSED OUT! And it is often followed by a close cousin named BURNED OUT.

Have you been down that road? If so, then you probably realize that stressed out is not a very productive state, and burned out is actually counterproductive. Oh, you can probably function under increasing stress for a while, but sooner or later it will bite you. What happens when you try to do 15 hours worth of work into an 8 hour work day? Unavoidably, the pressure (stress) goes up, it’s the law of compression. Adding an extra day won’t change things because…

It’s not about time, it’s about balance!

Balance means that we portion our time and energy in a way that benefits our whole life. We get out of balance when one aspect of our life is stealing time and energy from the others.

To be balanced, we need to give sufficient attention to all of life’s important areas, including our physical, emotional and spiritual well being. We need to be creative, as well as productive. We need to care about what is going on in the lives of those around us instead of just focusing on the task at hand. Balance means that work is just a part of the picture, not the whole panorama.

You need to make a choice

Let’s face it, you can do quantity or you can do quality. If you want to do both, then you need to hire some good people. Otherwise, it’s one or the other, that’s just the way it is. To raise the quality of your life in all of the important areas requires you to set certain limits.

If you have a family, a business, and a few other obligations, then you have more than enough to do. Not only do you need to balance your time and energy in those areas, but you also need to avoid adding to the mix. Life is about choices, and sometimes that means being able to say no.

A universal truth

Quality always takes longer, it can’t be rushed. To have a quality family life you have to be willing to invest your time and energy. The same applies to your business. Do you want to maintain optimal health? That takes time as well. Everything done well takes time and time is something you only have so much of. So here’s what I suggest…

Do less, but do it better

This is the only reasonable approach to a life that is both high quality and balanced. Limit the number of commitments, so you can feel good about being deeply involved in the areas of your life that really matter. You will experience fewer distractions and feel less hurried. This will automatically bring a greater sense of joy and meaning to everything you do.

Learning to filter out the activities that don’t really matter is a great way to create more time and energy for the things that are truly important.

Here are a few simple guidelines for incorporating balance into your life.

1) Set priorities. Make a list of everything that you do with your time and energy, and then figure out your top priorities. Be realistic as you assign a value to each activity. Ask yourself, “Does this really contribute to the quality of my life?” If there is any doubt, toss it out.

2) The highest priorities get the majority of your time. Don’t allow incidental activities to consume large amounts of time. If it is a low priority, that means it gets a very limited ration of time and energy. If you don’t put limits in place, you will waste valuable time on things that don‘t really matter.

3) Make a plan and stick to it. If you have scheduled family time, don’t let the predictable “something unexpected came up at work” change your plan. In your heart you already know how valuable your family is to you. Make sure that your life reflects those feelings!

4) Use your time efficiently. Always look for ways to accomplish more in less time and with less effort. Don’t think in terms of “hours of work.” Get away from the concept of making so much per hour. If your occupation allows for it, think in terms of making so much per project. Then look for ways to accomplish your projects in less time. If you do work by the hour, figure out how to make yourself significantly more valuable to your employer so he can justify paying you a much higher salary.

5) Take time to focus on others. This might sound strange, but spending some part of your day focused on other people will expose you to new, creative ways of thinking. Answers and solutions often appear when our attention is elsewhere. You can create opportunities for this to happen by purposely shifting your focus. Paying attention to others also builds the quality of your relationships on several levels. Remember, we’re all in it together.

6) Eat healthy foods and get regular exercise. Feeling good makes life better. Without your health, nothing else really matters. Don’t ride when you can walk. Choose nutritious food instead of fast food. Value your body and show your appreciation by treating it with respect. Not only will you feel better, but the quality of your whole life will improve.

7) Schedule some time to decompress. Don’t be a slave to productivity. A balanced life includes time to relax and enjoy a change of pace. When you take time out for yourself, you establish a more balanced perspective of everything else. Balance makes life seem easier and more rewarding, because that is exactly what it is.

What helps you stay balanced when things get crazy?
Have something you would like to add to the list?
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Do you ever feel overwhelmed because you know that you could not get everything done even if your day was 72 hours long? Do you feel ripped off because you seem to spend all your time doing what needs to get done, instead of what you would like to be doing?

Three questions come to mind:
1. Is this healthy?
2. Is it balanced?
3. Can it be changed?

We all recognize the value of living a balanced life. So why is it so incredibly easy to get out of balance, and so difficult to stay in balance? Obviously, there are several contributing factors involved, and some of them are very subtle. For instance, how often do you say or think phrases like; I have to, I need to, I don’t have any choice, or I can’t because _________?

The power of self-talk

These are common phrases, but what kind of message do they send to your subconscious? You might as well say, I am being forced to do things that I don’t want to do and I am helpless to do anything about it.

It sounds harsh, I know, but that is the message that your nervous system is dealing with. You are conditioning yourself to believe that what you want to do doesn’t really matter because you are a slave to forces beyond your control.

With this kind of mentality, your life can only become more out of balance as time goes by. You will progressively lessen the importance of the things that bring you pleasure, while the list of things that must be done continues to grow.

Of course, you will try to convince yourself that as soon as I get this last project under control I will take some time for me.

But how many times have you said that? Has it ever happened?

A balanced life is one that can embrace reality!

Don’t feel like you are the only one, we all struggle with this tendency. I think it comes from convincing ourselves that we are superhuman, that somehow we can do all these things, and still make time for us.

That will probably never happen unless we make it happen! And the only way to do that is to get a more realistic view of the situation, and make some necessary changes. What kind of changes?

Accept the fact that you have a choice

The first thing we should change is the messages we send to our subconscious about the necessary activities in our life. We are not slaves because we always have a choice. Let’s look at some more empowering ways that we can represent those necessary activities to our nervous systems to support a more balanced life.

Instead of I have to or I need to, how about I choose to? As in, I choose to go to work today. Now, the tendency here is to say, No, I really do need to go to work today because I have bills to pay. That sounds logical, but the truth is, you still have a choice. How about this, I choose to go to work today because the money I make allows me to enjoy my current lifestyle.

So what’s different?

The outcome doesn’t change, you are still going to work, but now it’s what you choose to do instead of what you have to do. Instead of being helplessly pushed around by your schedule, you are doing what you choose.

You will be amazed at the difference this kind of self-talk will have on your life. Not only will it affect your stress levels and attitude, but it will also influence the way you view the things that need to be done anyway.

The practical side

Now that we have a more balanced perspective, it’s a good idea to address the way our life is organized. We need to look for ways to actually make life more manageable and less cluttered. Try this: Write down everything you plan to do so you are not trying to remember it all. I know this seems simplistic, but it will make a big difference. In fact, here are four ways writing things down will serve you.

1. Making a list will breathe reality into your schedule. In your mind, you may have a huge list of things to do today. Once you commit that list to paper, you will quickly see the need to trim things down. That’s why daily planners are so helpful; they have the day broken into time slots. This helps you control the urge to schedule more activities than time allows for.

As you get comfortable with scheduling according to reality, you can purposely leave periodic blanks. In this way, you can systematically give yourself some meaningful space throughout the day.

2. Help you focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking is largely a myth, unless you limit it to walking and chewing gum at the same time. Try to block out enough time to make significant progress on a single task without interruption. Pick one thing from your list and devote a predetermined amount of time to it before moving to something else.

3. Provide a way to make allowances for uncompleted tasks. Don’t be obsessed over getting everything done that’s on your list. There are always unexpected delays. If something doesn’t get done simply move it to the next available time slot and let it go emotionally.

4. Help you value activities that make you feel energized. Learn to schedule time to do things that you really enjoy. Write them on your list and assign them some priority. If you include pleasurable activities in your schedule you will be more productive while feeling much less stressed out.

Adopt a more relaxed view of productivity

You are not a machine and there is no reason to try to become one. Do what you can reasonably do and call it good. A balanced life is about quality, not quantity. Life is not measured solely by productivity. Take some time to reestablish your sense of balance. Once you do, it will be much easier to enjoy the whole life experience.

Do you feel like there is too much to do?
Have you been sacrificing quality for productivity?
How do you stay balanced?

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The only constant in life is change. Sounds like an oxymoron but it really is true. Here’s how it works: A trend starts, picks up momentum and blows right past the point of balance. What happens next?

It turns around and does the same thing in the opposite direction. Like a pendulum swinging from side to side, life is always in a state of motion and changes direction frequently.

Can we achieve stability in motion?

True stability is not the absence of change!  Rather, stability is the ability to maintain balance in a changing world. As individuals, our challenge is to develop a strong, inner sense of balance that is not easily disrupted by changing external influences.

When we feel balanced in our own life, our sense of identity is not threatened just because circumstances have changed. This means that we are both adaptable and stable at the same time.

Developing your inner gyroscope

Inner stability requires a degree of internal fortitude. We can begin to develop this fortitude by recognizing and appreciating our own unique set of resources, strengths, values, and abilities. We need to spend some time figuring out who we are as a person and learn to connect with that person.

Sadly, most of us have lost touch with our creative self. We have allowed the roles we play to define who we are as a person when it should be the other way around. From this perspective the winds of change can easily throw us off balance.

4 Powerful outside influences

1) Jobs and friends. If we get our identity from what we do, then the loss of a job can trigger a full-blown identity crisis. If your identity is based on who you know, the loss of a friend might cause you to question who you really are.

2) Advertisers. We would all like to think that we make up our own minds about most things.  In reality we are constantly being conditioned by our environment to link certain things with pain or pleasure.  Advertisers study human behavior in an effort to link their products to our emotions.  Their advertising campaigns are designed to create subconscious, emotional associations designed to influence the choices we make.

3) Associates. The attitude of our close associates also has a powerful influence on our personal paradigms.  Their opinions can actually precondition us to view things the way that they do.  We may value someone else’s opinion so much, that we subconsciously adopt their viewpoint without any personal experience.

4) Crowds. Groups can also shape our preferences.  In such cases, acceptance often hinges on our ability to conform to group opinion.

Internal verses external

Your life and its many pursuits should be an expression of your most cherished dreams and values.  Not the ones dictated to you by advertisers, friends, or group opinions.

Most people choose a life course that is based on external criteria.  They end up following a path that leads away from the expression of their true self. Consequently, with each step they actually distance themselves from the life they truly long for.

Know yourself

Circumstances and friends have a way of changing.  Sometimes they support our dreams and passions while at other times they provide a challenge.  The ability to keep your dreams alive in the face of challenging circumstances is one of the greatest attributes of a successful person.

To accomplish this requires that you actually know who you really are and what you really want. Once you are in touch with your true self, the changes around you become much less influential. Instead of your identity being anchored to external forces, it remains safe and secure no matter which way the winds of change decide to blow.

How’s your inner sense of balance holding up?
Do you have a stability strategy you want to share?
The lines are open!

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My book TRUE SELF is the fastest inexpensive way (coaching is the fastest) to make positive life changes very quickly. From discovering and dismantling your limiting beliefs, to aligning with and realizing your most cherished goals – and everything in between. TRUE SELF will guide you through the process.

Have you got endless demands tugging at you from all directions? Does your life seem to be spinning out of control? It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed out when you can’t ever seem to catch up.

Do you think bringing your life into balance would require a major life change? It may not be as difficult as what you imagine.  Did you realize that, regardless of your circumstances, a true sense of balance actually comes from within you, not from your surroundings?

3 Ways to reduce feelings of stress

Here are three simple strategies to help you reduce feelings of stress by building a greater sense of inner peace and harmony.

1) Make some time for you. One of the first things we tend to sacrifice when we are busy is our personal time.  Instead, we devote all of our energy and attention to being productive and taking care of those never-ending demands. Over time this depletes our energy and we begin to feel more and more burdened by our responsibilities. This feeling of being weighed down increases our perceived level of stress.

To create a greater sense of balance, having some quiet time to your self is essential.  You may be thinking: “I don’t have any time available for that,” but something amazing happens when you regularly make some personal time; you find yourself feeling happier and more energetic, your focus improves – and you still get plenty done!  Just a few minutes spent doing something that you truly enjoy can help restore your inner sense of peace and happiness.

2) Look after your personal well being. Beyond making time for things you enjoy, there are many other practical ways to balance your life on a daily basis.  Getting enough sleep so you actually feel rested is a great start. Replacing fast food with nutritious food and getting some form of daily exercise will make a huge difference.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re really tired or stressed, even the smallest problem can seem like a nightmare?  On the other hand, when you’re feeling well rested and centered, you’re much better able to handle those little ups and downs.  Caring for your physical needs is one sure way to consistently replenish your energy and emotional resource levels. This means that you’ll have the strength, patience, and stamina to handle daily challenges without getting stressed out.

3) Give yourself some leeway. Did you know that one of the biggest causes of stress is rigid expectations?  We all do it from time to time; get a mental picture of how our lives “should be” – and get really annoyed when our outer circumstances don’t cooperate!  One of the biggest gifts you can give yourself is a flexible state of mind.  In other words, learn how to detach from unrealistic expectations and go with the flow.

When you have a flexible mindset, you’re able to deal with problems much more effectively because you’re not working against a preconceived notion of how things “should be”.  You’re able to tap into your creative problem solving skills and move through challenges without all the drama and frustration. So cut yourself some slack instead of stressing over every detail.

Changing our perspective is a good start

We see that a few minor changes in perspective can dramatically reduce our stress levels and raise our sense of well being and balance, but that’s not the whole solution. Now that you’re feeling more resourceful, you may also want to examine your external circumstances and see if there are some small adjustments you can make to help support your new, more balanced mindset.

Are there ways that you can tweak your schedule or reduce the complexity of your daily routine? Are you caught in multitasking mindset? Have you over committed your time and resources? These are all possible sources of external stress that you might want to examine now that you’ve cleared away some of the internal sources. As is true for most things, balance is the key to overcoming stress and finding greater joy in your day to day life.

Have you sensed an increase in stress in your life?
Do you have some favorite ways to avoid feeling stressed out?
The lines are open!

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When confronted with some new opportunity or challenge, often the first thing we think of is “can I or can’t I do this?” Most of the time, what’s really being considered here is “do I have the ability to do this?”

To answer that question, your mind will first analyze what it thinks is required. Next, it will compare that information to the resources on hand and draw a conclusion.

Pursuing success

Deciding that we can do something might seem to suggest that we should go for it. After all, our chance for success appears to be very good, so, why not?

I have slipped into this kind of reasoning several times in my life, and it has taught me some interesting lessons about the two faces of success. These lessons have proved very valuable over the years and I hope you can benefit from them as well.

Multiplying success

I love the feeling of accomplishment that success brings. How about you? When your efforts pay off, does it make you want to raise the bar and do it again?

Without a doubt, some of the greatest successes in every field of human endeavor have been the result of this kind of approach. But knowing that success can be multiplied brings up an important question.

Is more success really the best choice?

Surprisingly, the pursuit of greater success can easily reach a point of diminishing returns.

The truth is, more is not always better, sometimes it’s just more! Even worse, when things get too far out of balance, more can actually become less. To avoid the downside of success, we should always consider…

How much is enough?

If you enjoy the health benefits of running 5 to 10 miles per week, does that mean that you would be better off running marathons?

Imagine that your business makes you a good income working 20 hours a week with only three employees. Does that mean that you should hire 20 more people and really grow your business?

I can’t answer those questions for you, but I can suggest that you carefully consider your personal definition of success.

What do you really want?

Do you want to be fit and healthy, or do you want to see how much punishment your body can take? Do you want a business that makes you a comfortable living with plenty of time for other activities, or do you want to join the Fortune 500?

I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with any of these choices. It’s entirely up to you. What I am saying is that everything comes with a cost. So before you set your sights on more, it’s a good idea to look at the trade offs involved.

It’s easy to get carried away!

I love to work out, but there was a time when I forgot why I went to the gym. Once I discovered that I had the ability to lift very heavy weights, I thought – why not go for it?

That was not a balanced approach and ultimately, it came with a price. The problem was, I forgot to consider the “other” possible consequences of that kind of physical stress. As a result of my shortsightedness, I suffered a number of unnecessary injuries during that period of time. Some of those injuries are still with me today as a painful reminder.

A similar thing happened back in 1999 and 2000. That’s when I foolishly went from being a casual stock market investor, to a full time stock market junkie. Another very expensive and painful lesson.

Keep your eye on the ball

As good as success feels, it’s way too easy to get caught up in the pursuit and lose your balance. Understanding what success means to you personally can save you a lot of needless pain and hardship.

What it all comes down to is this. Balance is one of the most advanced life skills you will ever learn. In almost every area of life, balance is the key to living a life you can truly enjoy. To stay balanced you need to see the big picture and make decisions based on what you truly want.

Make sure you maintain a clear picture of what success means to you and don’t get caught up in the “more is better” mindset. Sometimes, less is really more!

How important do you feel balance is?
Have you ever had too much of a good thing?
The lines are open!

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My book TRUE SELF is the fastest inexpensive way (coaching is the fastest) to make positive life changes very quickly. Do you want to discover your core passions, dismantle your hidden, limiting beliefs, and realize your most desired goals? TRUE SELF will guide you smoothly through the process.

We all have obstacles to overcome, it’s one of the ways that we grow. Some of them just filter into our lives from external sources, and it’s our job to deal with them as they come along. That’s just a normal part of this experience we call life.

Today, I want to discuss a different kind of challenge. I want to talk about the roadblocks that we put in our own way, and then avoid dealing with for various reasons.

When we purposely avoid facing our self-imposed obstacles, what happens? Well, what happens in the case of a literal roadblock? Usually, traffic backs up, people get frustrated, and progress comes to a screeching halt. So then what? Then people look for ways to avoid the congestion even if it takes longer to get where they want to go.

The same exact thing happens to us

If we don’t deal with our personal roadblocks, our life gets congested. Everything begins to take longer as we search for ways to maneuver around the mess. Eventually, we start to get frustrated as we see progress grinding to a halt.

I just figured out that I am in this very situation!

As embarrassing as it is to admit, I must confess to being so busy that I wasn’t really aware of the extent of my own self-imposed roadblock. So now that I have decided to face it head on, I thought that sharing my experience might help you identify similar hidden roadblocks in your own life.

You see, it’s quite easy for any of us to run avoidance tactics underneath the surface, while continuing (or attempting) to function normally. By the time we become aware of this subtle maneuvering, chances are good that we have been costing ourselves valuable time and energy. This is the situation I currently find myself in.

What’s my personal challenge?

In a nut shell, I am so extremely resistant to organizing my time and workspace that it’s at the point of ridiculousness. It almost feels like a reverse psychology thing that I pull on myself. Whenever I decide to make a schedule, I immediately find some distraction so I can avoid the challenge. I vow to clean up my desk, and what do I do? I shuffle things around just enough so I can keep working.

What is the effect on my productivity?

At first, it was manageable, but now it’s really beginning to cost me. Not only in terms of productivity, but it is also cutting into my free time and my ability to focus. The more scattered we become, the less efficient we are. When it takes longer to accomplish necessary tasks, the time has to come out of other activities.

The closer I looked, the more I felt the negative implications of not facing this obstacle. A careful examination of the situation and asking myself: “What is the cost?” has accomplished several things that avoidance never would.

Here are five specifics

1) Motivation to move away from pain. We are all motivated by a desire to avoid pain and move toward pleasure. Now that I am fully aware of the personal cost of this problem, it has come to represent pain that I want to move away from. I want this pain out of my life ASAP and that is highly motivating.

2) Reversed emotional anchors. Where getting organized once represented an uncomfortable restriction, it now represents pleasure. Having a schedule, and a well organized workspace is the antidote for my pain in this area. As I move away from the pain, I am motivated to move toward a pleasurable solution.

3) Increased sense of accomplishment. Having a schedule will allow for greater focus and concentration. When I set aside a certain allotment of time for each task, it creates a deadline. Knowing that allows me to really focus on the task at hand without letting myself get sidetracked. Deadlines might feel restrictive, but the resulting sense of accomplishment is well worth it.

4) More free time. I can’t count the number of times I have stayed up late or foregone some other activity with the excuse “I need to work.” Had I been better organized, the work would have been done. So this personal roadblock was affecting more than my work schedule, it was having an impact on my entire life. Truth be told, as much as I enjoy my work, I enjoy spending time with my wife even more.

5) Balance. A happy and satisfying life is all about balance. For busy people who wear many hats and have lots of interests, achieving balance has become an advanced life skill. The more enthusiastic we are about life, the greater the need for this skill. If you want to live life to the full and really enjoy the journey, balance is required.

Like everyone else, I am a student of life. I love to teach, but I also love to learn. Evidently, my next life lesson is organization. Now that I recognize this, I am excited to make it happen. How about you. What personal roadblocks are you dealing with? Are you ready to meet them face to face and get past them? Are you ready to ask yourself: What is this costing me?

Are you well organized?
If so, please share your insights and tips.
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by Denis Waitley

It is so important to be living in prime time, rather than watching TV in prime time. On your way to success make certain you grow friendships, not just bank and mutual fund accounts. Life is a collection of memories, not of material things.

The Egyptian pharaohs were buried with all their treasures, and were mummified in hopes that they could enjoy their bounty in the next life. But we are only caretakers of possessions. There is a big difference between standard of living and quality of life. Standard of living is based on income earned. Quality of life is the enjoyment of the millions of minutes in between accomplishments.

Having money is only one aspect of wealth. To the sick person, wealth is health. To the lonely person, wealth is someone to talk to and share with. To the estranged person, wealth is hearing words of love and forgiveness.

Borrowing the free verse style from Brother Jeremiah’s classic poem, I’d Pick More Daisies, here are a few things I’d do, the second time around.

I’d laugh at my misfortunes more. Spend more time counting my blessings than my blemishes. Spend more time playing with my children and grandchildren and less time watching performers in the arena. More time enjoying what I have, less time thinking about the things I don’t have.

I’d laugh at my misfortunes more. Spend more time counting my blessings than my blemishes. Spend more time playing with my children and grandchildren and less time watching performers in the arena. More time enjoying what I have, less time thinking about the things I don’t have.

If I could live my life again, I’d walk in the rain more without an umbrella and listen less to weather reports. I’d spend more time looking at trees and climbing them, less time flipping through magazines made from dead trees. I’d spend more time fully involved in the present moment, less time remembering and anticipating. I’d smile more, frown less.

And most of all I’d be more spontaneous and active, less hesitant and subdued. When some spur of the moment idea came up to go hiking, playing Frisbee, singing in a chorus, going kayaking, or watching an eclipse, I’d be less likely to sit in my chair objecting, “It’s not in our plan.”

I’d be inclined to jump up and run out the door next time and say, “Yes, we can!” Although I can’t live my life again, I’m still going to live the new way every day any way. I’ll never have all the moments I’ve missed, but I do have all the time remaining.

Action Idea – Choose one activity this month that you really want to engage in, but that you have been putting off because it isn’t a priority. Schedule that activity in your planner, as if it were a “must do” business or financial commitment. When you have done it, while you are still feeling good, schedule one for next month, and do it as long as you live.

This article is reproduced with permission from Denis Waitley’s Weekly Ezine. Copyright © Denis Waitley International. All rights reserved.