PAUSE – 11.03 – Keeping It Simple
REFLECTION: Broker world peace. Jump-start the economy. Cure cancer. Eliminate poverty. Save the planet.
The range of global concerns seems endless. Even our more modest individual goals and ambitions can end up supersized to the max. As inspiring and enervating as big hairy audacious goals can be, they also carry significant weight. And, shouldering the weight of the world can feel overwhelming, crippling and exhausting.
That’s why a FaceBook post this week by my Halifax friend and speaker colleague, Peter Davison, struck me so positively.
Peter wrote: Go forth, do good, return home, stay blessed. Repeat as necessary.
It’s an approach to daily life and a plan of action that’s blazingly simple and eminently doable.
ACTION: In the midst of demands on your time and draws on your energy, keep Peter’s prescription in the forefront of your mind.
Get out there every morning. Make a positive contribution to your world. And, at the end of the day, as you turn towards home, spare a thought for the many good things in your life.
That much we all can do – day after day after day.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: When Mother Teresa won the Nobel Prize for Peace she was asked, “What can we do to promote peace?” She replied simply, “Go home and love your family.”
RESOURCE OF THE WEEK: Interested in other ideas about taking a simpler approach to life? Download a complementary copy of Leo Babauta’s e-book: Focus – A Simplicity Manifesto In the Age of Distraction. For more from Babauta see his ongoing blog, Zen Habits.
READERS WRITE: In response to last week’s Pause message, A Slice Of Humble Pie, here is a sampling of reader responses:
T: I have to remind myself of this more often than I should.
S: I have learned that there are other explanations than everyone else is a complete idiot.
K: Always take a breath and listen first.
C: Pointing a finger (one finger at them leaves three fingers back to us) reminds us of who really might be at fault.
S: Sometimes I accuse before fact finding and my temper gets the best of me. Most times an apology from me sets it all right.
L: If we let it, this not-so-tasty dish (humble pie) can help to build our character.
S: Your message fits so well with our corporate culture where we are asked to give up “the right to be right” and grant grace.
Tags: attitude, burnout, overload, overwhelm, Pat Katz, Patricia Katz, pause, perspective, Saskatoon, speaker, stress, wellness