Time

Time

Time is our most precious gift in life.  It is an undefined, undetermined resource that we have limited control over.  This lesson is generally learned far too late in life. So how do you spend your time?  Who do you spend your time with?  What makes you happy?  What brings you the most energy?  If you spend time doing the things that you love with the people you enjoy most in life, you will be happier, healthier and you will truly maximize the time you have on this earth.

Have you considered what would happen if you simply surrounded yourself with the people and things that make you feel great?  What if you spent more time doing the things that you truly love to do?  What if you could have more time, feel more love and discover amazing things about yourself?  Would you do it?  Would you make difficult decisions after asking yourself the challenging questions?

Do you surround yourself with the people you love the most in life?

            Do you surround yourself with people that maximize your potential?

Do you surround yourself with the people that help you grow and become the person you always wanted to be?

Do you do the things in life that you have always wanted to do?

Do you live your passion and spend time doing the things that bring you the most happiness?

Do you maximize the time with the people you love?

Do you eliminate the relationships with the people that bring you down?

Do you tell the important people in your life that you love them?

Do you wake up with a smile on your face?

Do you cry while watching “The Secret Millionaire?” (Guilty pleasure)

Do you feel that you get the same amount of love that you put out in the world?

When you eat chocolate, do you close your eyes and feel the chocolate melt on the tip of your tongue? (Another guilty pleasure)

            These are truly important questions.  Life-altering questions.  The answers might disturb you.  The answers might unlock a tremendous feeling of change and excitement.

Allow me to make things very easy for you:

Do more of the things you enjoy doing.

Stop allowing the people you don’t even like to influence your life. 

Stop making excuses.  Don’t stand in your own way.

Do what you love.  Love what you do.

Sounds easy right?  It isn’t.  Now is the time that you have to take an inventory of your time, effort, friendships and relationships that impact your life.  You will now have to make some challenging decisions.  Sometimes there are some sobering realities in the answers to the questions above.  You may even feel guilty or sad about making the best decisions for yourself.  But it will be worth it.  Happiness is worth it.  Love is worth it.  Being the most awesome “you” is worth it.  Living the best life is worth it.

To bring this all into perspective, imagine the alternative.  What if you keep doing the same things that you are doing now.  Will things get better?  Maybe. Will things miraculously change?  Unlikely.  Will you be any happier or more awesome by doing the same things that don’t bring you happiness?  No need to answer that.

Allow me to share a story that is near and dear to my heart. This is a happy story with a sad beginning.  In May of 2011, one of the most important people in my life was taken from me.  My father, a great man, was 61 years old when he passed.  Throughout his life, he was unselfish enough to help me understand the greatest things in life.  To this day, I practice his ideals.  My father was a simple man.  When he laughed, he laughed whole-heartedly.  When he spoke, I listened diligently.  I attribute a lot of who I am and who I am becoming to my father.  During his 61 years of life, my father loved.  My father felt love.  He didn’t spend much time with other people, but when he did, they were true friends.  People he admired.  The time we spent together was special.  There is no one else I respected more on this planet than my father.  The reason I am telling you this story is to illustrate how precious time can be.  The Friday before my father’s passing, I made dinner for him.  Nothing fancy, just a couple of hamburgers and some sweet potatoes.  He didn’t care for the sweet potatoes because they were the healthier alternative.  We ate dinner, shared stories over dessert and parted ways after the traditional hug and a kiss on his cheek.  The last words that I said to my father were “I love you.”  He returned the gesture and repeated the words that I spoke to him.  Little did I know, that was the last time that I would ever hear his voice.  Imagine if I didn’t tell him that I loved him?  Imagine if I didn’t hug and kiss him one last time? One simple decision can affect your entire life.

Life is incredibly special.  Life is delicate. Life is a gift.  Life is so frickin’ awesome that sometimes I don’t even know what to do.  Life should be filled with high fives, hugs and kisses.  Life should be about other people, but most of all; life is about you!  Life is about you making the best decisions for yourself.  You are the one that has to live with yourself at the end of each day.  You’re the one that will be asking yourself the hard questions.  You are the one that has control over your decisions. 

So go out there and make the hard decisions, they are ones that build the most character.  They are also the ones that will realize the most happiness.

Thank you for taking the time to read the Individual Catalyst.  I truly hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it!

Balance

 

Balance is one of the first things we achieve at the beginning of each and every day.  Without realizing it, you find balance as soon as you get out of bed.  As your body contorts reluctantly and transitions from bed to floor, you are looking to find balance.  So why is it that we often fail to continue to maintain balance throughout the day? Of course, there is a large difference between merely not tripping over ourselves and continually making conscious, balanced decisions throughout the day.  Or is there?

What does balance mean?  Much like success, balance means different things to different people.  After many years of trying to maintain a balanced lifestyle, I have linked being balanced to being true to yourself, your beliefs and what you are looking to achieve in your life.  Throughout the day, you will be challenged to make endless decisions.  What to eat? What to wear? What to say? How to say it?  Who to say it to?  Do I high five or just shake hands?  Maybe hug?  Too soon?  Apologize? All of these decisions will amount to various results.  That is why we must be conscious of the decisions we make throughout each day.  We must also ensure the outcome of each decision aligns with our intentions. 

For example, if you are trying to lose weight, perhaps a hearty stack of buttermilk pancakes with fresh creamery butter and pure Canadian maple syrup is not the best option (although probably the tastiest).  Instead, perhaps some sprouted grain bread with home made guacamole and a farm-raised poached egg would be the better option?  Especially when you pair it with a fresh, wild-blueberry smoothie with Greek yogurt, vanilla protein powder and some organic honey.  Now that is a different food blog altogether. My point is, ensure that your decisions line up with your goals.  Every time we are required to make a decision it is an opportunity to come closer to or remain farther away from our goals.  If your goal is to buy a home, then you will want to save for a down payment, closing costs, furniture and perhaps some money for renovations.  If you go to a store and see an amazingly unique Ermenegildo Zegna single-breasted, Euro-fit, two-piece suit with hand stitching around the lapel, is purchasing that suit (or two) bringing you closer or farther away from purchasing a home?  The answer is obvious, although you will look really good in your apartment or parent’s basement.

Decisions are the foundation on which our future is built.  Every decision we make has a direct effect on our lives and those that we choose to surround ourselves with. The direct effect of your actions and attitude will impact others.  Not only are you capable of changing your day, you can also influence everyone around you.  As profound as it sounds, your actions have an undisguised effect on other people’s day.  Your actions throughout the day are similar to a pebble in calm water.  As small as your gestures seem to you in the moment, the ripple effect becomes larger and more exaggerated.

Every morning I wake up with a smile on my face.  As soon as I wake up, I’m already ahead of the game.  By smiling, I set the course of my day from the very beginning.    Here is some advice to maintain balance throughout your day:

1.     Start right.  When you wake up, make the conscious effort to stay positive and in balance.  There are so many obstacles that morning provides.  Darkness, sleepiness, perhaps the temperature.  Your reactions to these hurdles will create the path of the rest of your day.  Start positive. Stay positive.  You may trip over some stuff, bang into a wall or two.  Chances are, no one saw you, so it’s ok.  Get over it.

2.     Be grateful.  Take a moment to think about the things and people that you are fortunate enough to have in your life.  It doesn’t have to be out loud, just think about the people and things that you look forward to everyday.

3.     Take your time.  Before you answer a question, greet someone or make a phone call.  Take a second and think about the best way to handle the situation.  It is better to take longer to answer someone then to spout off a quick response that you may regret later.  People often respect the time you take to assess the situation rather than the quickest response.

4.     Don’t sweat the small stuff.  If you make an effort to be the best person you can be, everything will work out the way it is supposed to.  If you make a mistake, it is an opportunity to learn.  So learn and move on.

5.     Seek out and pursue opportunities to help others.  There are many adages about giving back.  Albert Einstein once said: "It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it."  To me, a great sense of accomplishment washes over me after helping someone.  Whether it is opening a door, helping someone with groceries or carrying a hot water cooler to helping someone learn a new craft or skill.  Give back.  Give often. To follow one great quote with another: "No one has ever become poor by giving." Anne Frank.

Now you have the tools to embark upon and maintain a balanced day.  All you have to do is practice.  There is no time like the present.

Thank you for investing your valuable time and visiting the Individual Catalyst.  Wishing you another awesome day!

How do you start your day?

 

Welcome to the Individual Catalyst.  The objective of this blog is to showcase both simplistic and intricate things we can do to foster change in our own lives and affect the people around us.  My goal is to share ideas with a community of like-minded people that will embrace the opportunities to influence others in a positive way. 

It is no mystery that the media is a conglomeration of fear mongers.  The sad thing is, they were right about sales.  Soft Drink makers are now showcasing different activities so that you can burn calories to consume their sugary water.  Cheez Whiz doesn’t even contain cheese anymore.  In a world full of imitation, instant-gratification and genetic manipulation, we need to get back to the simple things in life.

We are surrounded by “convenience.”  Most people wake up to an alarm that ensures they are up on time, press a button on a machine to make coffee for them.  They will also need to press a lever to toast the bread they put into the toaster.  They take their coffee and toast and continue to sit in front of a computer and press another button to allow them access to an infinite amount of information.  Unfortunately, the information that most people read is the news.  Whether it is local news of a community leader stealing money from the people that were kind of enough to elect them or a political leader half way across the world barrel rolling his country back in time another 50 years.  The bottom line is, people allow others to influence the first thoughts to their day. 

What if you woke up to the thoughts of the things you love? What if the energy of the morning was spent thinking about the things that you are thankful for? Why not celebrate qualities about yourself and others that you are truly grateful for?  It is easy.  I do it every morning.  Simply take 30 seconds (or as long as you like) to give thanks for the things that fill you with happiness.  Here’s an example of how to do it:

“I am thankful for the health of my mother, our relationship and the time we get to spend together.  I am thankful for the love of my life, and appreciate the happiness I feel around her, everyday.  I am grateful for my personality and the way that people respond to me. Thank you for the opportunity to help others.  I am thankful for my body, my ability to compete and stay strong physically and mentally.”

You can create an attestation of your own.  It merely takes some thought about what makes you happy and what you are grateful for.  Starting your day with appreciation will impact your day in the best possible way.

This is just one way to create change.  It starts with you.

I truly hope you enjoyed the first post on the Individual Catalyst.  If you enjoyed it, please feel free to share it with people you care about.