The decks are cleared. It's a new decade. The year is 2020. My perspective is "2020." This is my MEME. (What the heck is a MEME?) I can see things for what they are. I know more than ever what I am doing this year. It took all of December for me to get here. And what a December it was! There were multiple gigs with my new band, prepping for the kids coming over for the holidays, my birthday, Suki's birthday (and big party I planned). There was so much going on; it was hard to get Clarity. To do so, I did a few things to help me along.
- Create Space - I reset my workspaces. I attended to my clutter. I will be a disciple of Marie Kondo this year (Does it give you a "Spark of Joy?" No? Then part with it.). I've committed to implementing the productivity strategies contained in David Allen's "The Art of Stress-Free Productivity." For everything, you come across, DO IT, DELEGATE IT, or DEFER IT.
This is a time tested process to reduce STRESS!
- Identify what matters. What are your values and passions? Journal and record what you think about it. Do a little bit of this activity even morning. I follow the process outlined by Hal Elrod in his book "The Miracle Morning."
- Silence
- Affirmations
- Visualization
- Exercise
- Reading
- Scribing (Journaling)
- Do one thing at a time. Create either 20 or 50-minute blocks of time where you do only one thing. Challenge yourself to get as much done in the block toward your goal as you can. No distractions allowed. You will be amazed at how much you can get done in 20 minutes of intensely focused effort. I'm doing this right now!
- Eliminate distractions. I chase squirrels all the time. See item number three above. I create distraction allowances for myself. These are little indulgent periods of five minutes max where I can do something mindless. Alternatively, I read instead of surf. Currently, I'm studying the Bible for the first time in my life. Keep things in balance I'm also rereading "God is Disappointed in you," by Mark Russell. It's irreverent and quite funny. If you want to learn about Original Sin, Click Here!
- Eat Well. The Whole 30 diet is my go-to approach to getting fog-free Clarity and maximum energy.
Gain crackling levels of ENERGY here!
- Get quiet. Every time I transition out of a 20 or 50-minute block, I RELEASE TENSION with a short meditation. Even 30 seconds work. Then I set INTENTION. I ask myself, how am I going to approach this singular task in the next 20 minutes?
Click here for The Release Meditation Technique.
- Write to get clear. I cannot emphasize this enough. Journaling gives you tremendous CLARITY. The act of writing creates mental pathways that forge new perspectives. This is a transformational habit. I'm not kidding! Consider the fact that the great Roman emperor and stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius was a devout journaler.
A bit more about Marcus Aurelius' Journaling
- Experiment. Do things differently. Challenge your brain by brushing your teeth with the opposite hand. Drink no coffee for one week. Try stretching several times throughout the day. Keep trying new things…all the time!
Here is a great guide for life experimentation!
- Put your ass where your heart wants to be (Learn more here!). This perspective is an extension of Mel Robbins' 5 Second Rule. Once you have a notion, you have 5 seconds to act on the idea. The best action is to move yourself to that place where you can do what you do best.
- Challenge yourself. What have you told yourself that you cannot do? Why not? Really? Why, not again? I re-listened to Earl Nightingales' seminal recording call "The Strangest Secret." I took his 30-day challenge to put a big goal on one side of a 3x5 index card, and this passage from the sermon on the mount on the other.
"Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened to you." In other words, THINK!
That's a lot to digest. I've been working on this stuff for a long time. It works.
