time management Archives

The Time Issue

26 February 2013February 26, 2013Eric

Time doesn't fly by and we don't have a "time issue." Time has been moving at the same pace as it always has and your time issue is more than likely an excuse.

As I write, I must plead guilty. Many times I've written those worn out cliches of:

Time goes by so quickly
Life is brief
Don't blink

I could go on, but I've slowly been coming to an awakening.

The reason we in America (maybe in other parts of the world too) feel like time goes so fast, is we are always:

Chasing after something
Wanting something
Afraid of losing something
Getting involved in something
Worrying about something

That group above will make you feel like your driving a high performance car on the Audubon-in all waking hours. Why not find your moment instead? Why not take the road less travelled? Why not take a risk and say no?

Being in the moment is not a worn out statement. I wish it were, then it might be an indicator that we've stopped the madness. Being in the moment is essential and everyone can do it, if they want. The scary part is many will wait to the end before they realize how much time they've burned.

America is in trouble for a number of reasons. Our abuse of time in the pursuit of "all of the above" is insuring a troublesome outcome. I'm convinced there is a desire, but as in many things, desire is not enough. I've moved to the place where I purposely, every day, find my moment. I have to.

Find your moment and turn around.

Managing Your Thoughts

1 February 2013February 1, 2013Eric

"Been thinking, more than writing these days. Hoping to get back here very soon. Many events of 2009 have conspired in a way not imagined."

-Epic Living Blog, Spring of 2009

The above quote came from me almost 4 years ago. Though I'm now in a different place, the words began pushing me to reflection.

Do I have a handle around my thoughts?

As we've entered into 2013, I've given a lot of myself to why thoughts matter. The good ones, the bad ones and how impactful the sum of the two have been on me, and others. This may seem like an obvious because we do it all the time…thinking that is. But what if the majority of our thoughts are made up of the following:

Worries
Regrets
Doubts
Fears
Bitterness

It is clear in my own walk that some of those examples fit my past thought patterns. I say past, because part of my growth plan for 2013 is to manage my thoughts with great energy and focus. I've lost too much time (literally) letting bad thinking rule the day.

One great example for me is the area of regrets. There was a time when I daily struggled with regrets over my choice of entrepreneurism. The fact that I began a new life in the area of entrepreneurism when I was at my pinnacle in the corporate world, the fact that I had 2 kids under 10 years of age, the fact that I had a big mortgage, provided fertile land for regrets. This was especially true since I felt my kids were growing up so fast and I was still trying to figure out who I was supposed to be. Ever heard this one in your head?

"I should have spent more time with her just being, but now she's a teen-ager and I wonder if she sees me as father that is there for her."

I could go on with more, but the point is time is precious and we don't have time (REALLY) to spend reviewing all the crap that comes and goes through our heads. It's a deception to believe every thought is worthwhile and a key to who you are. Most of the thoughts listed above are designed to bring you down, suck away your time and leave you standing gripped. What if you decided to let the negatives to just roll on by. Try it, you'll see that your world won't come to an end.

I am living these steps to manage my thoughts better:

Praying diligently to hold my thoughts captive. St. Paul has much to say on this topic
Practicing mindfulness. Andy Puddicombe has some great insights on this here
Staying away from those who see things as a half-empty affair
Keeping things real at all times
Continuing my practice of yoga

The Problem with Busy

20 September 2012September 20, 2012Eric

I live in a community that has many families. I think the last number I saw it was around 80-85% families. Last night I took a step back and looked around a room of parents and wondered if anyone could look back on their day and find something meaningful (a mark left so that world would know you were alive and contributed) poured out? Busyness is often a mask to hide our lack of purpose and happiness. Despite that, I really believe most want purpose and meaningful pursuits.

One of the areas of opposition is living in an age where we've defined "leaving a mark" down and we've elevated busyness as our substitute. In many ways we feel that a long list of activities produces substance. It doesn't. Enter stage left the mask of hypocrites. We're great actors and actresses. Giving the appearance that all is well and under control. We even have calendars to prove it and make it so. The problem with busy is it wears you down and out. The scary part is found in our belief that the alternative (quality, focused priorities, meaningful work) is not an option.

Look around you, how has all this busyness benefited us?

I'm not here to define what should be meaningful in your life. That's your job to tackle. But here's an acid test to try at the end of your day today:

The things i participated in today were meaningful because_________.

For some help, see my definitions of meaningful:

Saying I love you consistently
Time alone with God
Laughter
Helping my children answer the tough questions
Being authentic
Embacing nature
Physical exercise
Family dinners
Encouraging people through Epic Living (the work within the org.)
Managing and integrating what I value most into my daily existence