MESSAGE #923 DO LESS, ACCOMPLISH MORE…

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I have a new favorite author, Leo Babauta. I am currently reading his amazing book, “The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential, in Business and in Life.”

Here are his thoughts on how to slow life down, from his website, ZenHabits.

  1. Do less. Cut back on your projects, on your task list, on how much you try to do each day. Focus not on quantity but quality. Pick 2-3 important things — or even just one important thing — and work on those first. Save smaller, routine tasks for later in the day, but give yourself time to focus.
  2. Have fewer meetings. Meetings are usually a big waste of time. And they eat into your day, forcing you to squeeze the things you really need to do into small windows, and making you rush. Try to have blocks of time with no interruptions, so you don’t have to rush from one meeting to another.
  3. Practice disconnecting. Have times when you turn off your devices and your email notifications and whatnot. Time with no phone calls, when you’re just creating, or when you’re just spending time with someone, or just reading a book, or just taking a walk, or just eating mindfully. You can even disconnect for (gasp!) an entire day, and you won’t be hurt. I promise.
  4. Give yourself time to get ready and get there. If you’re constantly rushing to appointments or other places you have to be, it’s because you don’t allot enough time in your schedule for preparing and for traveling. Pad your schedule to allow time for this stuff. If you think it only takes you 10 minutes to get ready for work or a date, perhaps give yourself 30-45 minutes so you don’t have to shave in a rush or put on makeup in the car. If you think you can get there in 10 minutes, perhaps give yourself 2-3 times that amount so you can go at a leisurely pace and maybe even get there early.
  5. Practice being comfortable with sitting, doing nothing. One thing I’ve noticed is that when people have to wait, they become impatient or uncomfortable. They want their mobile device or at least a magazine, because standing and waiting is either a waste of time or something they’re not used to doing without feeling self-conscious. Instead, try just sitting there, looking around, soaking in your surroundings. Try standing in line and just watching and listening to people around you. It takes practice, but after awhile, you’ll do it with a smile.
  6. Realize that if it doesn’t get done, that’s OK. There’s always tomorrow. And yes, I know that’s a frustrating attitude for some of you who don’t like laziness or procrastination or living without firm deadlines, but it’s also reality. The world likely won’t end if you don’t get that task done today. Your boss might get mad, but the company won’t collapse and the life will inevitably go on. And the things that need to get done will.
  7. Start to eliminate the unnecessary. When you do the important things with focus, without rush, there will be things that get pushed back, that don’t get done. And you need to ask yourself: how necessary are these things? What would happen if I stopped doing them? How can I eliminate them, delegate them, automate them?
  8. Practice mindfulness. Simply learn to live in the present, rather than thinking so much about the future or the past. When you eat, fully appreciate your food. When you’re with someone, be with them fully. When you’re walking, appreciate your surroundings, no matter where you are.
  9. Slowly eliminate commitments. We’re overcommitted, which is why we’re rushing around so much. I don’t just mean with work — projects and meetings and the like. Parents have tons of things to do with and for their kids, and we overcommit our kids as well. Many of us have busy social lives, or civic commitments, or are coaching or playing on sports teams. We have classes and groups and hobbies. But in trying to cram so much into our lives, we’re actually deteriorating the quality of those lives. Slowly eliminate commitments — pick 4-5 essential ones, and realize that the rest, while nice or important, just don’t fit right now. Politely inform people, over time, that you don’t have time to stick to those commitments.

We control our destiny (for the most part), so be sure to make good decisions today. And do less.

Thanks for reading.

MESSAGE #916 WHAT ARE YOU DOING BEFORE BED??

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“Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours.”
-Swedish proverb

I normally sleep pretty well. My routine is to meditate and visualize as soon as I get into bed at night. I take some deep breaths, cultivate gratitude and reflect on my day. I then visualize the things that didn’t go so well and imagine that they went perfectly. I also create positive images for the next day’s events. As a result, I wake up ready to go.

Recently, I made the mistake of watching the news right before bed. They were showing footage in Haiti, and talking about violent crimes in the tri-state area.

Well guess what?

I actually had some bad dreams that night. Coincidence?

I think not.

I once taught a little girl about nine years old and during her first lesson, she kept saying, “I can’t.”

Well, she didn’t.

I pretty quickly said, the rule on my court is that you are not allowed to use the word “can’t.”

She had to stop herself a couple times, but then she started saying, “I can!” with a smile.

She ended up playing exponentially better. She even started walking more confidently.

We, as coaches, players, students, parents, teachers and friends, need to be our own inner coaches, not our own inner critics.

Homework: Tonight, before bed, instead of just crashing or watching the evening news, read a motivational book, do a little meditation, or just visualize that you are already the person you want to be.

Your mind is a powerful thing – feed it properly.

MESSAGE #914 WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T LAUGH…

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Ed Tseng and high school tennis player, Kevin Roveda demonstrate a laughing meditation. At first they were faking their laughter, but then they started actually laughing. Even the camera woman was crying from laughter.

If you want to feel a certain way, start faking it and you will soon start feeling it.

Video blog: https://www.edtseng.com

MESSAGE #622 EATING MEDITATION…

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“We could say that meditation doesn’t have a reason or doesn’t have a purpose. In this respect it’s unlike almost all other things we do except perhaps making music and dancing. When we make music we don’t do it in order to reach a certain point, such as the end of the composition. If that were the purpose of music then obviously the fastest players would be the best. Also, when we are dancing we are not aiming to arrive at a particular place on the floor as in a journey. When we dance, the journey itself is the point, as when we play music the playing itself is the point. And exactly the same thing is true in meditation. Meditation is the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment.”
-ALAN WATTS

I really like that quote.

Meditation is such a key component in relaxation/stress reduction, and it helps us all reach peak performance in whatever we do.

At least once today, try one of my favorite forms of meditation – the eating meditation.

EATING MEDITATION

First, let’s just say you are eating a turkey sandwich. Pick a place where you won’t be bothered (or looked at weird).

Before you even pick up the sandwich, notice how it looks on the plate, like the colors, the smell, the shape. Also, notice how hungry you are, either very hungry, moderate, or not so hungry. Notice your posture, and your breathing.

Next, reach for your sandwich, but reach slowly and notice the muscles in your arms tightening and your fingers extending.

Now take a bite of your sandwich and feel the texture of it, the sounds, and the smells. Focus on your teeth coming down, chewing the food, and then how your tongue helps push the food down. Feel the food going down your throat and into your stomach.

Appreciate how the food got to your table, like the workers in the bread company, and the truck drivers.

Continue with this eating meditation for the rest of your meal. How do you feel?

The more you meditate, the more you are able to stay in the moment. This will relieve stress, which will make you healthier, and it will help you enjoy life more. I think it actually slows life down. I’d love to hear your thoughts…



Thanks for reading.