Life has changed.
When younger and without the imposition of Multiple Sclerosis, I fully embraced the opportunity to do things quickly. I ran from place to place, I juggled multiple tasks, I rushed through conversations, I downed my food quickly.
I focussed on what was next and how much I could get done as quickly as possible. I noticed as my career progressed that the demand to move quickly, decide quickly, act and move on became the latter day mantra and imperative for perceived success.
Now I have both the opportunity and am forced to 'go slow'. The opportunity through retirement and the compulsion by virtue of MS. At first, this has been a frustration. How can I possibly get done all the things that need to be completed...and now?
But over time, I have come to appreciate and value the benefits of 'goin' slow'. The obvious...not falling over when rushing to my next appointment or task, but also the less obvious. Taking time to plan and sort the important and meaningful from the pack of pressing demands on my time. Taking time to be quiet, reflect and be calm with the associated benefits for my health, demeanour and relationships. To focus on quality rather than speed and spending time on what I value rather than just on those things that are forced on me.
Consequently, I feel better... calmer, fitter and more satisfied with life and I feel as though I have more time and more capacity to get things done. Strange that something that has been imposed on me by my health and over which I perceived I had no control should turn out to be a real asset.
So let me encourage you to take time to go slow and reap the benefits and as I have, feel the quality of your life improve.
Life has changed...for the better.
Monday, 30 September 2013
Sunday, 8 September 2013
Is it habit forming?
As I went through my daily stretching and weights routine this morning, I was reflecting on the value of habits. Clearly, these can be of great value or highly destructive. My good habits such as my morning 'movement' regime and my approach to food intake stand me in good stead for a healthy and productive life, particularly given the challenges of a life with MS.
Last October, I decided that it was time to trim back my weight and having re-examined my food habits and with the assistance of the "My Fitness Pal" app, I have trimmed back my weight by around 12kg and stayed in my desired range since April. This form of habit, has added much value to my life through added energy and sustained capacity to get things done.
So, many questions... Can good habits in other aspects of my life, equally add to my quality of life? What about bad habits? Can good habits become bad habits? In what other areas of my life do I want to add good habits?
In my past professional life, I found that enshrining certain habits or rituals often helped to make me a more effective contributor to the business. For example, daily reading of instructional financial literature, helped me to quickly understand and apply complex aspects of my latter responsibility for Superannuation. Judging by the state and performance of the Fund, this habit was a value adding one both for me personally as well as for those stakeholders affected by my decision making. So to a new habit for me. In relation to my blog, as recently pointed out by a good friend of mine (thank you for your feed back Phil), I have been less than consistent in writing and posting. And, so to a new habit for me...to write for at least 10 minutes every day and post at least weekly. In forming this new habit, I hope to add value to my life and yours.
Procrastination...a bad habit of mine that does not serve me well and need to be broken. And so to attack it, I will use my 'to do' lists more and account to you in future blog posts as to how I am going. Outing bad habits and finding a way to be accountable to others are surely effective ways to overcome disappointing deficiencies...time will tell!
And what of good habits gone bad? Surely this is impossible. I used to work for a manager once who told me that he drove to work a different way every day. But why?" I quizzed him. "To keep me thinking flexibly" he said. While, I am not convinced that this might be the most efficient process, I do agree that we need to review our habits, from time to time to ensure that they are adding value and quality rather than impeding us through inflexibility.
And so to the possibilities of forming a new habit (along with my blog). Our federal government election has just been concluded and we have a new government. Since this outcome has become known, I have seen a number of my friends express their grief, anger and concern through social media about our country's new leadership . This got me thinking about the potential for a new habit. When living in the US for a time, I saw that Americans seem much more inclined to regularly interact with their government representatives during their tenure rather than just holding them accountable at election time. What a wonderful opportunity for a new habit. Write to my local member regularly, to hold them accountable for their promises and remind them of their responsibilities to act on my behalf as they participate in the political process over the next three years irrespective of whether I voted for them or not. Perhaps a new habit that just might add to my quality of life.
So...are there possibilities for you in an existing or potential new habit? Let me know and in any case, enjoy reflecting on the possibilities.
Last October, I decided that it was time to trim back my weight and having re-examined my food habits and with the assistance of the "My Fitness Pal" app, I have trimmed back my weight by around 12kg and stayed in my desired range since April. This form of habit, has added much value to my life through added energy and sustained capacity to get things done.
So, many questions... Can good habits in other aspects of my life, equally add to my quality of life? What about bad habits? Can good habits become bad habits? In what other areas of my life do I want to add good habits?
In my past professional life, I found that enshrining certain habits or rituals often helped to make me a more effective contributor to the business. For example, daily reading of instructional financial literature, helped me to quickly understand and apply complex aspects of my latter responsibility for Superannuation. Judging by the state and performance of the Fund, this habit was a value adding one both for me personally as well as for those stakeholders affected by my decision making. So to a new habit for me. In relation to my blog, as recently pointed out by a good friend of mine (thank you for your feed back Phil), I have been less than consistent in writing and posting. And, so to a new habit for me...to write for at least 10 minutes every day and post at least weekly. In forming this new habit, I hope to add value to my life and yours.
Procrastination...a bad habit of mine that does not serve me well and need to be broken. And so to attack it, I will use my 'to do' lists more and account to you in future blog posts as to how I am going. Outing bad habits and finding a way to be accountable to others are surely effective ways to overcome disappointing deficiencies...time will tell!
And what of good habits gone bad? Surely this is impossible. I used to work for a manager once who told me that he drove to work a different way every day. But why?" I quizzed him. "To keep me thinking flexibly" he said. While, I am not convinced that this might be the most efficient process, I do agree that we need to review our habits, from time to time to ensure that they are adding value and quality rather than impeding us through inflexibility.
And so to the possibilities of forming a new habit (along with my blog). Our federal government election has just been concluded and we have a new government. Since this outcome has become known, I have seen a number of my friends express their grief, anger and concern through social media about our country's new leadership . This got me thinking about the potential for a new habit. When living in the US for a time, I saw that Americans seem much more inclined to regularly interact with their government representatives during their tenure rather than just holding them accountable at election time. What a wonderful opportunity for a new habit. Write to my local member regularly, to hold them accountable for their promises and remind them of their responsibilities to act on my behalf as they participate in the political process over the next three years irrespective of whether I voted for them or not. Perhaps a new habit that just might add to my quality of life.
So...are there possibilities for you in an existing or potential new habit? Let me know and in any case, enjoy reflecting on the possibilities.
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