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THE
THREE PILLARS: Body,
Mind and Spirit
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Invest
in Yourself
You're
tired of the status quo. It's time to throw some new
elements into the mix. It's time to invest in yourself.
Like a classic car that's been neglected and gathering
dust in a back shed somewhere, the time has come for
that oil change, detail polish and some high octane
gas.
"First
we see the hills in the painting, then we see the painting
in the hills." ~ Li Li Weng
The
past few years, you've been busy keeping up with all
the demands on your time, your mind, your body. That
"sharp" kid who left school a few years back
has become somewhat dull from the overuse of daily life
and growing responsibilities. You can feel it happening
more and more each day. You're not as quick as you once
were. Dullness is seeping in - but hey! That's normal,
you say! You can't stay on top of the game forever!
You're
forgetting one thing, though. With proper maintenance,
like that classic car, your value rises. You have built
up knowledge and experience that, with some tuning up,
can continue to be high performance. I said it before,
it's time to invest in yourself. It's a blue chip investment
— you can't lose! And, as the commercial says,
you're worth it.
So,
where do you begin? The time has come for you to take
inventory of yourself and your lifestyle.
The
Body
"Our
body is a machine for living. It is organized for that,
it is its nature. Let life go on in it unhindered and
let it defend itself, it will do more than if you paralyze
it by encumbering it with remedies."
~ Leo Tolstoy
How
are you feeling today? The answer to this is more important
than you realize. We have a tendency to forget that
our bodies play a major role in the quality of our life.
The
truth is, most of us are tired. Maybe we didn't get
enough sleep, or we spent the morning racing around
getting children to school, or fighting traffic to get
to work. Whatever the reason, we're all exhausted.
So,
sharpening your edge has to include helping your body
to feel more alive and energized. There are 2 secrets
to this, and you already know what these are.
1. Good food is essential. Heavily processed
foods add to the work your body needs to do because
of the "bad" ingredients the body has to
deal with. The chemicals and bad fats cause your liver,
kidneys and cells to work overtime trying to clear
this out of your system.
Organic,
whole foods have increasingly become mainstream. There's
a reason for that. Your body will feel better if you
fuel it with clean food. Pay a visit to your local
health market. Some of the better ones staff nutritionists,
carry in-store prepared foods and provide free literature
on a variety of topics such as aging, immune defense,
and women's health.
Start
the process of sharpening your edge by clearing out
your system and making solid nutritional choices.
Visit websites that can provide information and ideas
on healthier cooking. You'll find that it's really
easy to feel better.
- Living-foods.com
- Organicfood.co.uk
-
Madisonmarket.com
2. Exercise. Yes, I know, you're sick of
hearing this and you hate exercise. I understand.
I hadn't exercised in 16 years. Yet, recently, I
decided to go to a drop in class at my local recreation
center. Guess what? I have become so addicted to
exercise, that I now go 4 times a week. One of the
big fears people have about going to an exercise
class is that they will stand out as fat or clumsy
(surprise, I am both fat and clumsy!). Or that they
will not be able to "keep up". The truth
is "keeping up" takes time. Endurance
builds over days and weeks. You will be surprised
to find that after a few weeks, you will be able
to do more repetitions. Remember, you're not trying
out for an Olympic event. You're making investments
in YOU.
So,
don't worry. You're not alone. There are all shapes,
sizes, ages and experience levels at these classes.
I met a 60-year-old woman during one session who was
taking yoga and body sculpting classes so that she
could become flexible. The wonderful thing about this
is that she did indeed improve her flexibility.
"Physical
fitness is not only one of the most important keys to
a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative
intellectual activity." ~ John F. Kennedy
Give
it a try. You'll be very happy that you did.
Feed
the Mind
"A
house is not a home unless it contains food and fire
for the mind as well as the body." ~ Benjamin Franklin
One
of the difficulties most often cited by stay-at-home
moms is the feeling that their minds aren't being challenged
enough.
"I
knew I was in trouble when I found myself having long
conversations about the benefits of a particular detergent
… I decided to volunteer at my children's school and
now I'm having fun exercising my marketing skills …
it's something I do well, but hadn't used in a long
time. I have the best of all worlds now…"
We
hear about the "lack of challenge" in all
professions, in all walks of life. As humans, we like
to problem-solve, to push our minds in new ways. It
is a need we must feed to be happy.
Books
There
are many ways for us to feed our minds. Most of them
are free. A trip down to the local library is an excellent
way to begin. Aside from the vast collections of books
and periodicals available, many libraries also offer
lecture series on a variety of topics. Ask your librarian
for a brief tour and you will be surprised at the resources
available to you.
Classes
All of us know someone who is a "professional student".
This person is forever taking courses whether at their
local university, or through one of the community workshop
courses that are so readily available. The subject matter
can be quite academic, such as English literature and
Physics, or it can be esoteric, such as Reiki healing.
The bottom line is that it really doesn't matter what
the subject matter is, whenever you sign up to take
a course you are feeding your mind with new information.
Check the courses available at your local recreation
center. The urls below are intended to provide you with
examples of what may be available locally.
Organizations
Social interactions stimulate thought and learning.
Your mind processes a variety of information based upon
the environment, other people's body language, tone,
and the conversation itself. There are many organizations
out there dedicated to an assortment of causes and objectives.
Some of these are professional organizations, some are
philanthropic, some are religious, some are strictly
social. Whatever your interest area, there is a group
meeting out there to discuss, participate, and spend
time with like-minded individuals.
The
opportunity for communication and activities provides
fertile ground to feed the mind.
Feed
the Heart
"Whether
sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart
the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite
of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In
the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless
station; so long as it receives messages of beauty,
hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the
infinite, so long are you young." ~ Mark Twain
What
does it mean to feed the heart? And perhaps, more importantly
for the purposes of this article, what does it have
to do with "sharpening my edge?" The answer
to this is found in a variety of research annals, some,
like the writings of Einstein's protégé,
David Bohm, rather groundbreaking territory. The main
message to walk away with, though, is the understanding
that everything we do, everything we experience, flows
through us. We are a system. It is this concept which
underlies many of the alternative healing techniques:
acupuncture, reflexology, reiki, etc.
The
breathtaking view we stopped to enjoy was taken in and
is imprinted in our minds — it is a picture we
carry and whose colors we may incorporate in our own
palette, and in our hearts, because the pleasure we
experienced will make us feel happier, energized and
inspired.
Have
you ever been with a group of people watching a tiny
puppy play? Stop and take a look at everyone's faces.
These folks are feeding their hearts. Even people that
tend to be more "severe" or "strict"
will begin to unbend a little.
We
have a lot of expressions to describe this: "softening
up," "ice melting from around their heart,"
"he turned into a pussycat." When we receive
nourishment for our hearts, our entire being feels happier,
more relaxed and we become better, less-stressed people
— even if only for a little while.
Corporations
understand the value of feeding the heart. This is one
of the reasons some organizations strongly encourage
their staff to take time off, enjoy family, rest and
celebrate. An employee that takes the time to balance
themselves with outside interests and activities is
a more productive employee.
They
are also a more creative employee because they seek
out new experiences and input, but we'll talk about
creativity later.
Clearing
Static Noise
We've
talked about self-improvement, seeking out good inputs,
and plugging into good feelings. Sometimes, though,
we have difficulty doing some of the things we know
we should be doing because our minds are caught in an
endless loop. You cannot sharpen your edge if you are
continuously distracted. It's important to clear the
static out of your system so that you can have clear
focus for the path you want to pursue ahead.
Check
out some of the articles right here: Start
with You and Passion,
for example. They will offer suggestions on how to clear
that static noise that distracts you from pursuing your
goals and objectives.
Turn
the static off and go immediately to creating an action
plan for yourself. Time to SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. You know
what you have to do.
Action
Steps
- Sign
up for a class.
- Check
out: CareerOneStop.org
- Have
you thought about teaching? Check out: Riverdeep.net
for Teacher certification requirements.
- Join
a professional organization.
- Get
some books.
- Draft
out a 5-year
plan for yourself.
- Work
out a career plan with your boss during your next
one-on-one. Ask for suggestions for development.
- Enhance
your soft-skills. Take courses in Interpersonal Relationships,
Social Styles, Human Effectiveness, Teamwork.
- Stay
current: take courses in new quality methodologies
and processes, such as Sigma.
- Stay
current: sign up for breaking
news emails with any of the varied services. Subscribe
to industry
publications in your field.
- Read.
Go to the library. Check out the business resources
centers.
- Seminars:
look into courses offered by the small business administration,
city, state, and universities on specific topics that
will enhance your business acumen.
- Take
care of yourself: feed the body, heart and mind. Plan
for enjoyment.
"To
understand the heart and mind of a person, look not
at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires
to." ~ Kahlil Gibran
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