In what aspects of your life are you given to procrastination? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.
“To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.”
“Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.”
“No one wants to be the skydiver who pulled the rip cord too late.”
Image from Unsplash by CDC
Today’s quote is a fill-in-the-blank question without a list of possible answers. It is intended to stretch you in a wide variety of directions should you choose to pause your life to do some exploration.
As the new year begins, it is common for many of us to make resolutions and promises to ourselves and others about the goals and habits we want to pursue and realize.
What objectives are top of mind for you? What intentions lie below the surface that appear so lofty that you dare even considering them?
Unfortunately, many of us give up before we get good at most things. Next January we will likely do this exercise again, with the excuse that we are even older to begin such efforts!
EXERCISE:
Use your favorite search engine or AI App to research some of the world’s late bloomers and their stories where they started when they started and got good and great at many things.
How will you use their examples as an inspiration to start today to get good at (fill in the blank)?
Image from Unsplash by NASA
As a science buff growing up and even today, Carl Sagan has always been one of my heroes. He was a leading figure in popularizing science through his books and the television series Cosmos, which became PBS’s most watched show for decades.
Sagan was instrumental in researching the potential for extraterrestrial life, demonstrating amino acids production from basic chemicals. He designed the Pioneer Plaques and Voyager Golden Recording, intended as a universal message for any extraterrestrial intelligence.
Among his numerous accomplishments was his role as an inspirational mentor to notable scientists including Neil deGrasse Tyson and countless young people who chose to follow in his footsteps.
EXERCISE:
In what ways do you courageously question your place and purpose in life and dig for the answers to make your time here even more meaningful?
Image from Unsplash by Hide Obara
Winter is a profound time for reflective thought, stillness, and introspection.
Following the hectic rush before and during the holidays, there now seems to be a distinct lull in activity similar to nature’s entry into hibernation. The darker days and colder temperatures are causing many of us to seek cozy, quiet, and warm spaces to rest and reflect.
For me, winter is a time to release old patterns of operating to emerge in spring with a new balance and bounce in my steps as the warmer and sunnier months emerge.
EXERCISE:
In what ways do and can you use the winter months to contemplate your inner and outer worlds? How can these efforts help balance and restore you for the upcoming seasons of your life?
Image from Unsplash by Олег Мороз
What does your emotional landscape look like? Consider the list below to see how they create your reality as you journey through your days.
EXERCISE:
Separate the list into positives and negatives, and add some of your own. How can you maximize the positive and minimize the negative to lead a more fulfilling and creative life?
How would you rate your level of patience on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.
“From the errors of others, a wise man corrects his own.”
“My experience of life is what I agree to attend to.”
“You can only untie one knot at a time.”
Image from Unsplash by Annemarie Grudën
Hippocrates believed in using diet as a primary tool for health care.
This concept suggest that a well-balanced, nutrient-rich diet can act as preventive and therapeutic medicine, supporting both physical and mental health.
The idea underscores the importance of food in holistic healthcare promoting well-being and reducing the risk of disease.
Foods that can act as medicine include:
EXERCISE:
How can and will you make healthier eating a more intentional habit in this new year?
Take the time to do some research and go on a food safari to your local grocery store to find some new and better choices that can make your effort a tasty one!
Image form Unsplash by Aaron Burden
Aristotle’s philosophy encourages stepping outside one’s comfort zone as part of pursuing eudaemonia — human flourishing.
He emphasizes that achieving excellence and virtue often require effort, discomfort, and rational action beyond habitual or pleasurable routines.
EXERCISE:
How has taking on life’s challenges and stepping outside your habitual and pleasurable pursuits provided you some of the more beautiful aspects of living?
Where and when can you continue to step out into some of the chillier aspects of life to discover other kinds of beauty awaiting you?
Image from Unsplash by Miriam Gilles
Here in the Northeastern United States there is always the potential for a bit or bunch of the white stuff as we enter the winter months.
If you happen to enjoy holiday movies you may have seen one of my family’s favorites: Frosty the Snowman. There is a particular scene where Frosty shows his wiliness to melt. He enters a greenhouse to save his friend Karen from freezing, to demonstrate his love and his willingness to sacrifice everything for her.
EXERCISE:
Who are the people in your life worth melting for? How does realizing the importance of these people give your life greater meaning and purpose?
Image from Unsplash by David Travis
I recently visited my ophthalmologist for my annual checkup. Evaluating my sight with eye charts and paddles to cover one eye at a time is a test I always hope to pass.
When I compare my actual sight — which tends to decline with time — to my evolving “in-sights” of thinking, I find it pleasing to know that my focus in many areas of my world is actually improving.
EXERCISE:
In what ways can you boost the resolution of your thinking? How can the focus on this inner world help you to see beyond your current horizons?