Posts Tagged ‘engage’
3 STEPS TO LIVING THE PERFECT LIFE
Friday, July 31st, 2009
by Nate Truman
“The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no
recipe for living that suits all cases.” CARL JUNG, 1875 -1961
I agree with Carl, but I still want shoes! I wanted to address this issue right out of the box. I am not going to suggest that I have all the right answers that will help you to perfect your specific life issues. But I do firmly believe that there are distinctions that apply to everyone that can not only improve your life, and make you happier, but also will set you on a new course for a better today, and tomorrow.
So today I want you to try these three steps, and see if you can live this one day
not perfectly, but happily different!
STEP 1: ENGAGE the world! You may have heard this idea in a bit meaner way as “Snap out of it!” or “WAKE UP”! Do you find yourself constantly on “autopilot” throughout your day? What exactly are you waiting for, to engage your brain and total attention? A car crashing through your wall? The world is fascinating in every direction, but you have trained yourself to tune it out. So for the next week, notice something new around you as often as possible. Really look at the people and scenery on the way through your day. When you spend more time fully engaged and aware, new opportunities seem to start popping up! They were always there, but this is a first step in opening yourself up to receiving them.
STEP 2: SMILE. Look at yourself in the mirror, so you can remember how much better you look when you smile, and offer that face to everyone. Put up some sort of item next to your mirror where you will see it that makes you smile. Find a photo of a good friend, lover, a quote, or just a cute picture of something that tickles your funny bone. Smiles look best when they come from the inside out! Why do you smile when someone takes a photo? Try NOT smiling just once, and keep that photo as a reminder. Start a “collection” in your brain of moments and people who bring a smile to your face when you think about them, and when you realize your smile has faded, take a second to pull up a happy memory. Try that right now! I’ll wait.
STEP 3: LISTEN. The reason each of us develop the “autopilot” mode, is there is so much around us to see, hear, touch, taste, smell, and do, that we train ourselves to tune out most everything. Have you ever said a whole sentence to someone, face to face, and at the end they stare at you and then say “What?” So you repeat it all, and they hear it just fine? Do YOU do that to others? Listening is the ONLY way to learn something new. If you are planning what to say instead of listening, or worse, just waiting for the other person to stop talking, there is no chance you can learn from that person. I have never met someone that didn’t have something to teach me, but I had to listen, to find the lesson. So just today, focus on being aware of your universe, smile kindly at everyone, and when someone speaks, listen intently, and then ask them a specific question to see if you truly heard what they were saying. You may find you want to do all of these things more than just today!
