A problem for many smart people is that we have some very clever ways to prevent ourselves from being fully awake to our lives.
We can be busy and think we are making progress. Or, even more clever: we can be accomplishing many things (a good thing) and falsely believe that we are awake.
The first step of our Struggle Less, BE more philosophy is to Wake Up and Pay Attention. And the ultimate question to figure out how awake you are to your own life: ARE YOU AWARE OF and REALIZING YOUR DREAMS?
Notice how the question doesn't reference your first quarter objectives or your list of achievements or even the existence of a bonus last year. It is concerned with you BEcoming you and paying attention to the life you're supposed to be leading.
Want to know how well you're doing?
The check-in quiz is simple enough: two questions with a gut check (and maybe a close friend for verification):
Level 1 Question : Do you find your self very busy on a regular basis without a lot to show for it?
You spend your time running here and there, you are juggling many "priorities" and you hardly have an open slot in your schedule.
For sure, you are busy. But are you getting anything done? Are you checking off tasks or can you stack up achievements?
This is the first level of being awake: overcoming busyness. Are you making a difference because you are actually achieving some things?
Then...
Don't get me wrong- it is good to accomplish things you have promised, things you get paid to do, things that make your life and the world better, things that pay the bills.
But don't stop there.
Level 2 Question : Do you find yourself accomplishing a great deal, winning awards, getting bonuses and receiving congratulations regularly...and still feeling like the challenge is gone, and "something is missing" in your life?
Compared to others, you are the high achiever. You get more accomplished before most have left oatmeal bowl in the morning. You're not just active, you have a lot to show for it.
But you know this isn't "it" for you. There is something else you're supposed to be paying attention to. You probably even know what some of those things are: you've been DREAMING about them for years, and sweeping them under the rug, forgetting about them.
This is the second level of being awake: achievement that is tied to your dreams, your purpose, your passion.
So, what do you do if you find yourself not fully awake your life?
Well, rather than give you ten strategies, easily ignored, I'll give you one strategy that works for both levels of being asleep.
MAKE A LIST (or "accounting") and KEEP IT IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE.
Level 1: If you aren't paying attention to accomplishing anything, make a list of the things you want or need to achieve...and get that in front of you all the time.
Level 2: If you are accomplishing but aren't paying attention to your dreams and the awesome things you desire to do and contribute in this world, make a list of those dreams...and get that in front of you all the time.
Ok, I said no strategies above....but here are a few ways to keep these things in front of you...and therefore a guide to what you're doing.
1 Keep copies of the list(s) in several places: your car, your desk, your kitchen, your computer screen-saver
2 Put copies of the list in the shower (laminated!)
3 Every morning, re-write your list(s)
4 Give a copy to your closest friends & allies
5 Schedule the lists to be emailed to you regularly
You get the idea.
As a result of any of these strategies, two good things will likely happen: (1) you'll continue to refine your lists until they are even more accurate and more compelling and (2) you'll find your daily activities are guided by these two important lists. And, as Martha would say, that's a good thing.
Bottom Line: Don't be asleep to who you are and what you can do. Instead of confusing activity with accomplishment, and confusing accomplishment with being awake and living, remember your dreams and your goals, so they'll become reality.
BE more,
Tom
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POWER QUESTIONS:
1. Do I need to pay attention more to what I want to accomplish or to my dreams?
2. Where is my list of goals? Where is my list of dreams?
3. What is most important to my life, but easiest for me to forget?
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