Maintain Sanity by Keeping a Diary
The more gadgets we have to help us get things done, the more life seems to speed up. To keep your sanity in the whirlwind of life, keep a diary.
Maintain Sanity by Keeping a Diary
Diaries have often been touted as great things for kids, particular teenagers. The idea is the diary acts as an outlet for them to express their views in privacy, ruminate about problems and so on. It is there own little private space in the wild, wacky world of teenage life.
Having left your teen years behind, you might scoff at the idea of keeping a diary. Buy why? In case you haven’t noticed, the modern world for adults often can seem like high school. The shear pace of daily life can be daunting. Throw in petty disputes at work and such, and it can all get very crazy, very quickly.
Keeping a diary of your life serves a couple of important steps in keeping your sanity. First and foremost is something that has to do nothing with the diary itself. To keep a diary, you should set aside 20 minutes or so each day to write. Typically, this should occur at some point in the evening. Regardless of what you write, the 20 minutes serves as an effective timeout from life. Don’t answer the phone! Regardless, it is a very useful 20 minutes where you can just relax with no distractions. A bit of “me time” if you will.
The second value of keeping a diary is reflection. The beauty of a diary is you don’t have to write anything in particular. That being said, it is still an opportunity to take a moment and reflect on the day. It gives you the opportunity to review things you did positively and others you might want to change. Far to often in today’s world, we simply don’t take the time to think about our actions. This can be very therapeutic as it gives you a chance to vent.
The third value of putting pen to paper is introspection. Every so often, you are going to go through a bad stretch. Hey, that is life. If you didn’t have bad stretches, you wouldn’t value the good ones. When you inevitably hit this moment, go back and read through your diary. The farther you read back, the more you will realize you have gone through bad stretches before and come out with flying colors. A review of forgotten circumstances might even give you a guide to solving your current one. The best lessons in life are the ones that are not forgotten!
Whatever your circumstances in life, writing down your thoughts on a daily basis can go a long way to keeping you from going insane. Whatever your age, keeping a diary is a good choice.
Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com - diary products.
Self Improvement - It's Such an Adrenalin Rush
Self improvement can be one the most rewarding, exciting and pleasurable things one can do. When you embark on the road of self discovery, you wake up each morning full of expectation knowing that, before the day ends, you'll have learnt something new about yourself and the world around you.
Many people live their lives in a state of inertia; unable to conjure up any enthusiasm about any aspect of their life. They waste their life away, only able to endure the emptiness with meaningless and hollow diversions like drugs, alcohol, casual relationships, TV and gambling. But, for those of us who have embarked on a journey of self discovery life is full to the brim. The need for self improvement makes us eager to greet each day; knowing that before the day is out, we will discover something about our inner self, something that makes life a joy to live.
The more you learn about your inner self, the more you want to learn; it's almost like an addiction. As you unravel yourself and the world about you, you begin to understand and accept your place in it. Like athletes who get high on exercise, those on the road to self discovery get a rush with each step they take or each time they reach a point of realisation. It's a feeling only those on the same path can understand.
Of course, the journey of self improvement is not always an easy one. There are times when we experience set back after set back, when we seem to regress rather than progress. But this is only to be expected. All sports people experience feelings of failure and frustration, but they know in their hearts, that one day they'll achieve their goal; the same thinking is followed by those who want to improve themselves. By sticking with it, they know they'll achieve a goal and feel that sweet rush of contentment that comes from achievement.
Self improvement isn't a selfish thing to do either. As you grow in contentment, so too will those around you, just like a soccer player scoring a goal; not only does he feel the heady rush of joy, so do his team mates. Self improvement is a shared experience; there's plenty of it to go around. Passing on your self improvement tips to others, doesn't cost you anything and will only benefit those who take the time to listen and apply what you have learned. You'll also find that those around you will help you in return; self discovery is people discovery.
Self improvement is an adrenalin rush. The rush comes from achieving goals and dreams, be they large or small. It's the biggest rush there is. An athlete feels the rush of physical exercise or of being first past the post; a gambler feels the rush of winning a bet; lovers the rush of the first kiss. But these feelings of pleasure and satisfaction are one-dimensional. The rush felt through discovering and learning something fundamental about yourself or the world around you, encompasses so much more; the rush permeates your entire being, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Robin O'Brien is founder of selfimprovementtechniques.com where you can find out more on self improvement and find self improvement tips and self improvement books.
Living Your Purpose
You have a purpose. You have specific gifts, talents, and abilities that are uniquely yours. At the intersection of "what you love to do" and "what you are good at" you will find your purpose. Do you know your purpose? Do you know why you are here on this planet? If not, then it's time to ask the questions:
� What do I love to do?
� What am I good at?
� When do I feel most alive?
Once you have answered these questions you need to gather the courage and confidence to act upon the answers.
In my speaking and coaching work I have met thousands of people who are on purpose. They are people who are good at what they do and they love what they do. They are people in health care, banking, manufacturing, education, associations, and government. There are leaders, writers, musicians, speakers, consultants, and artists. Each person brings their unique set of gifts in service to others.
At the same time I have met thousands of people who dislike their work. These people are not on purpose. They may complain about the organization, their compensation, their fellow employees, and a host of other things. Their real problem is that they are not on purpose. When you are not on purpose you create stress, pain, and conflict for yourself. Your gifts lay within you, unopened, abandoned. Much has been said about what to do to motivate people. Meaning and purpose motivate people. Truly successful organizations are made up of people doing work they love toward a meaningful purpose
Many will say that they know what their gift is, but they can't make any money at it. There is a way to make money at anything. The problem isn't money. It's confidence. They really don't believe their gifts have value, and so they believe no one else will value them either.
Once you develop confidence, you begin to see opportunities. The world, and possibly the organization you work in, have abundant opportunities for you to live your purpose. This brings up the other reason for not living on purpose. We tell ourselves that we are not getting the support we need from others. Our family, friends, and colleagues are not cheering us on.
From the day you are born you will receive comments, opinions and criticisms from others. You must choose whether you are living their dream or your own. You must decide that your purpose is too important to abdicate responsibility for it to others.
If the biggest problem is confidence, then how do we get the confidence? Here are some ideas for you:
1. Listen to the still small voice within. Practice listening to your intuition and following it. This voice should trump all external voices when deciding how to live your life. Access this voice through prayer, meditation, or quiet contemplation.
2. Study and practice to develop your gifts. Confidence increases with knowledge and skill.
3. Let go of the negative opinions of others. You owe it to yourself to listen within and trust that inner voice rather than putting your trust in the opinions of others. Find people who will encourage and respect your gifts, because they will reflect back to you your growing inner confidence. On the other hand, listen carefully and non judgmentally to criticism. Valid criticism will show you where you need more learning and practice. Invalid criticism will test your resolve.
4. Don't waste your time comparing yourself to others. Certainly others may serve as models for you, but envy and negative comparison will not help you. Do your best with what you have now.
5. Make sure the purpose you are expressing is really yours, and not one assigned to you by someone else. Also, know that a purpose can be very simple. It isn't always romantic or grand, but it does feel good. I have had clerks in stores and servers in restaurants who have made my day. These amazing people were each living their purpose. I have met assembly line workers, custodians, and receptionists who were living their purpose. They brought total focus and joy to their work. Sometimes your purpose is not "out there somewhere", but it's right here in front of you. Live the purpose that feels right to you.
6. There are no good excuses for why you can't follow your purpose. Make time. At one point in my life I decided to hone in on my purpose. Every night before falling asleep, I asked the question: What is my purpose? I placed a notepad and pen next to my bed. When I awoke, I wrote down the first thing that came to mind. I did this for seven consecutive mornings. Once I defined my purpose, I listed all of the things I was good at and that I enjoyed doing down the left side of a piece of paper. Next, I listed all of the industries I could think of across the top of the page. I divided my paper into columns and rows, creating a matrix. I placed X's on my matrix wherever I saw a fit between skills/interests and industries. I highlighted the industries where I felt most excited about expressing my skills and interests. I decided to focus my attention on positions in the industries where my skills and interests fit and where I felt the greatest enthusiasm. Within a week I found an ad that matched my area of focus. I was hired within a two months.
Maybe you already know your purpose. Are you challenged enough? Can you be living your purpose at a higher level? Once you find your purpose it is important to continue learning and growing. Listen to the voice within and follow it. There is a reason you are here. Whether you see yourself as young or old, working or retired, you have a purpose. It is calling to you from deep within. Answer the call. Allow it to take hold of you. It is in living your purpose that you will find fulfillment.
"Happiness comes from fidelity to a worthy purpose" Helen Keller
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William Frank Diedrich is a keynote speaker and the author of The Road Home: The Journey Beyond the Spiritual Quick Fix, 30 Days to Prosperity: A Workbook for Well Being, and Beyond Blaming: Unleashing Power and Passion in People and Organizations. William also offers a free online newsletter, Transformation Times. To learn more about Bill, his books, and his services, go to http://www.transformativepress.com or to http://noblaming.com
