Listen to Grow

Change is hard, listening may be even harder. When we are changing we may find ourselves having to find more time to listen. Listening takes energy.

Finding the right people to listen to is not easy. Missteps are usually found along this path. The best method for selecting good "listening" is to go with your intuition. Listening to a person who is soothing might be good, yet they can lull us into a stasis, state of complacency or even a paralysis of indecision. Listening to someone who causes us major anxiety may not be a good choice either. However, sometimes the individual's who causes us minor anxiety and inner turmoil are helping us develop new thoughts, thinking patterns and helping us change.

Listen to learn, listen to grow. Change will come.

Who do you plan on listening to?

This is a best of post. 

What's Most Important to You?

Do you take time out to think about what is most important to you? Do you take life as it comes or do you make life what you want it to be? There may be no right or wrong answers to these two questions, however those who fail to plan, often find their life results less than they desire.

I have found taking “formal planned  time” to focus on what is most important to you is key to creating the life you want.Taking time out from your day-to-day activities can be tricky and complicated, especially if you lead a busy life. However, if you are a busy person, then taking time out is as easy as making an appointment or two with yourself. A few hours will likely be enough for you to create a clearer understanding of where you want to go.

Individuals who are focused can pre-plan their “future vision session” .  They can do this by creating a list of questions to consider during the session.  This will allow a more focused and directed time. However, if you are a person who has trouble focusing, working with a life coach for a few sessions might be the key to creating the life you want. The life coach can help you by asking great questions, and then you can find your own answers.

Terry now provides life coaching services. Check out her website for more details.

Playing Catch Up

For the past few weeks, I have been busy with some extensive family responsibilities. This of course left little time to do some of the routine and day to day things in my schedule, let alone some of the other projects I had planned for this time period.

Playing catch up is never easy. But when it is the game of life, one has to work on moving forward to reach normality. The first step when in "catch up mode" is to admit where you are. Next have an inner conversation with yourself to plan how to get back on track. It helps to identify what needs to be done, and what can remain undone for a period of time. Finally practice saying no to extra activities and keep your life as simple as it can be for a period of time.

Being in constant "catch up mode" is exhausting. Sometimes working with a coach can help you maintain and move forward in your personal or professional accountability. You don't have to go it alone.

Choose Happiness Over Stuff

A special guest post from Going Forward author MoreenTorpy. 

 

Why is it that as a society, we seem to have tumbled into the mindset that to have an abundance of stuff ensures happiness?

I wonder what other holes in our hearts we’re trying to fill by accumulating more than we really need. Did we lack something as children that we’re trying to compensate for now? Or are we trying to protect ourselves against future lack?

Or, are we thinking we're not "enough" without "stuff"? A wise person said that to not want something is as good as having it. What an amazing concept!

Can we actually be losing ourselves by adding more “stuff” to our lives? Material goods require maintenance which takes time away from important activities such as spending time with our friends and families. Over time, by neglecting what is of real value—people, they're gone because we’ve pushed them away. When acquiring and holding onto "stuff" becomes more important than people, we're in trouble!

Once we realize that abundance does not have to be material possessions, we can appreciate and enjoy what we do have. Health, family, friends, having enough to eat, something to look forward to in life, and much more to be grateful for that bring happiness.

So let’s make room for real happiness in our lives that includes more people and less stuff.

© 2012 Moreen Torpy. You may reprint this article. If you do, please include the resource tagline below with the hyperlinks intact.

Moreen Torpy is the De-Clutter Coach, a Trained Professional Organizer, Author, and Speaker. Her new book is Going Forward: Downsizing, Moving and Settling In. See www.goforwarddownsize.com for more about the book including where and how to purchase it.