Life Theme for 2009

How about a new twist on those good intentions for the New Year? How about intentions that target your overall quality of life? The word ‘intention’ comes from the Latin root word intendere, meaning to stretch toward something. An intention is an aim that guides your actions, intuition and creativity. Unlike a resolution, it is not about fixing something within yourself or your life, it rather leads you towards the person you want to be. Acting with intention keeps you present in the moment and focused on the process. So what might your intentions or your Life Theme for 2009 be? Following are some sample questions that can lead you in the ‘stretching’ area:

- When do I experience joy in my life and how do I express it
- How can I invite greater integrity into my life?
- What do I still need to learn?
- How do I express my values
- What are the conversations I keep avoiding?
- How do I express love?

This is not about ‘to-do’ lists, it is about you and how you want your life to be. If part of it is to quit smoking or lose 10 pounds – so be it. Take some time to ponder these or some other, life purpose oriented questions. Have fun with it and let you Life Theme unfold.

Wishing you a wonderful, intentional New Year!

Your Own Actions

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."
(Dalai Lama)

I like this a lot as a motto for myself. Understanding that I take a big part in my own happiness and acting on it – even if that means to get out of my comfort zone. What a mature way of approaching life!

Wishing you and your family and loved ones
Happy Holidays and a great start in the New Year!

TIME

Writing the description for the group I will offer in the beginning of January (LIFE DESIGN I – Quality of Life, see the SERVICES page on my website), I stumbled over the expression ‘quality of life’ and how I evaluate this for myself. After a few moments the word time popped up in my head and would not leave. I need time for all the things I want to do and that could enhance the quality of my life. No matter where I look, having enough time, being on time, choosing the right time, taking the time, running out of time or getting a time-out seem to be the issue.

Especially this time of the year, people are stressed out, having full calendars and seem to run out of time. The juggling of all kinds of different interests and demands, needs and pulls seems very difficult if not overwhelming. There are several ways of tackling the dilemma. One is to make precise schedules and try to follow them. I also find it very helpful to observe myself for a couple of days and analyze my time management. Then I make an effort to plan breaks in order to give myself a little puffer. Another approach could be to weed out activities that fail the ‘values’ test. Ask yourself: does this contribute to the life I want to lead? Is this really as important as I first evaluated it? Am I just busy or am I effective?Whenever I get frantic and anxious I know, it’s time for me to sit down and reevaluate my schedule, my time balance. There is no way I want to waste TIME. We all get the same number of hours in a day. It’s how we use them that makes a difference.