Whose Life are You Living?

I have met too many people that are only going through the motions, only existing, living like zombies doing the same things day after day without really living. They mask their emotions with motions of busyness only to wake up one day wishing things were different. They find themselves saying I guess this is the way life really is and they settle. They settle in unsatisfying relationships, unsatisfying careers and in unhealthy bodies. What if they didn’t have to?

What if you discovered that you settled for a life that someone else gave you instead of the life God wanted you to have?

What if you found out that you had gifts and talents trying to burst out of you but you kept pushing them down by conforming to the standards and desires of others?

The 80/20 rule! Which side are you on?

My last post was about making sure we take responsibility for our life and the direction it heads. Today I want to share the Pareto Principle with you. You may know this as the 80/20 rule. 8o% of the world’s wealth is held by 20% of the population. It can also be applied in this manner; 80% of the joy and success in our life comes from only 20% of our efforts. Think about the amount of time you put into your relationships, your joyful activities, hobbies and service to others; the things that make your life significant and meaningful. Then think about how much time you put into cleaning, finding things, playing games when you have work to do, non profitable discussions, TV shows and the like. Most people will see Pareto’s principle applied here as well.

Your Life is Your Fault!

Achieving success may be simple but it is rarely easy. One of the best but most difficult traits a person can develop is one of personal responsibility. Think of how much you fault other people or circumstances for keeping you from achieving the level of success, health and happiness you desire.

Unless you are willing to stop blaming others for your lack of success you will never achieve it. Blame does nothing to help you move forward and everything to justify staying in your present condition.
You may not have been responsible for some of the events you have experienced, but how you respond during and especially after the event is entirely on your shoulders.

My name is Bob and I’m a Workaholic

It didn’t happen overnight. As a matter of fact I didn’t even see it coming but in my quest to live a more fulfilling life I have come to find out that I am indeed an addict. Like most addicts, the drug of choice is usually not very harmful if consumed in moderation. However when the product takes control of your life and you begin to sacrifice other more important things to get another fix, then you have a problem.

My drug of choice was work.

2 Questions That Can Change Your Life

“Hey mom! Why do you cut the bone off the end of the ham?” the child asked. “You know? I am not sure; I guess it’s because my mother always did it. Why don’t you go into the living room and ask her why?“ Mom replied. “ Hey Grandma! Why did you cut the bone off the end of the ham?” Its simple grandma answered; “It wouldn’t fit in the oven!”

How many things do you partake in simply because that is what you have always done?

Two of the shortest but most powerful questions you can ask yourself are;

Eagles and Turkeys Don’t Flock Together.

“You can’t soar with the eagles if you’re spending all your time with the turkeys”

It’s been written that if I were to examine the lives of 5 of your closest friends I could probably describe your life pretty accurately. People tend to fellowship with those that have a very similar lifestyle. They shop at the same type of stores, their income brackets are usually very close, they have similar hobbies and they even tend to eat at the same kind of restaurants. While in and of itself this is not bad, it does tend to pose a problem for those wanting to separate themselves from the rest of the pack and move upward. Even though friends and co-workers can do a pretty good job of keeping us where we are at they do very little in the way of assisting us up the ladder.

Become Success Minded!

Employers don’t like whiners, gossipers or complainers. None of those traits bring improvement to a bad situation and as a matter of fact, they cost companies money in lost productivity. The only thing that corrects problems or changes poor performance are solutions. That is where your mind needs to be.

If you are going to simplify your life you need to make sure you spend more time focusing on positive productive thoughts than entertaining negative destructive ones.

If you come across something that isn’t working or is causing a problem, instead of just bringing a complaint to your employer, try bringing with it a few ideas that will solve the problem. Employers are looking for people that think for themselves; the kind of person that sees a problem and corrects it immediately whether they caused it or not. Comments like “It’s not my job”, or “I didn’t do it” are not what employers want to hear. They look for successful results and the more problems you can solve, the more successful YOU will become in the process.

I Quit!

I used to ski, I used to go camping every weekend in our motor home. I used to go to Nags Head for a week every year with the family, I used to have a boat and my wife and I would cruise the coast of Beaufort, fish and hit the islands for the best shells that washed up on shore the night before. I used to shoot pool; I used to go on vacation, a lot. There was even a time when we would have such big parties at my house that friends would come with their tents and campers. I used to play a lot of games, joke around and…… have fun; a lot of fun and then…….. I got busy.

Some people like to be busy — being busy is almost a status symbol to them, as if it shows you’re important and productive and a go-getter and achiever. If you’re texting during a power meeting and sending emails on your Blackberry and making calls during lunch you must be important, right? If you work 50-60 hours a week and take work home, you are better employee right?