Taking inventory
“Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all, heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.”
– James Allen, “As a Man Thinketh”
Even through all the hustle and bustle of Christmas festivities, there is a stillness to December that – in pockets – really challenges me. Somewhere between all the things that I get to do, and all the things that I don’t have to do, I sometimes feel a little lost.
And by lost, I really mean found/exposed/caught-dead-in-the-water, because only with excess time does my mind go all Hey hey!! Over here!! Time to assess your life!!!
[imagine me rolling my eyes right now]
Though I don’t particularly enjoy it, I totally honor this time to reflect. So every December, I take inventory.
By that I mean inventory of the ENTIRE YEAR – what I’ve done, what I’ve accomplished, who I’ve loved, what I’ve lost, how I’ve grown. (Let’s be real, most people call this “New Year’s Resolutions”… I’m just impatient and don’t feel like waiting till January 1st!)
Among others, these are some of the questions I ask:
Where am I now?
Where do I still want to go?
What do I have?
What do I still want?
What do I still need?
Who do I still need?
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Considering it’s been ten days since my last post, I have officially had WAY TOO MUCH TIME at this point going down the rabbit hole. You have been warned…..
Let’s just get right into what I’ve read/heard since my last post, with some quick annotations for each:
1. “As a Man Thinketh” – James Allen
~ Super short read (<40 pages) that I highly recommend.
2. “Too soon from the cave, too far from the stars” – Ray Bradbury
~ 7.5 page essay that I also highly(!!) recommend. True story, I read it about a week ago and cried… multiple times. Happy tears, mind you!
3. 1/3 way through “The Alchemist” – Paulo Coelho
~ HOLY S*** this is gold. How have I not already read this? Go read it! NOW!
4. “How to Become a High Performer” with Brendon Burchard on Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu podcast 11/28/17
~ Some really interesting points on tying efforts to identity. See pulled quote at the bottom of this post.
5. “The Art of Breath w/ Rob Wilson” on The Airborne Mind Show podcast 12/5/17
~ Lots of philosophical goodness if you have the time to listen.
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Moving on…
I dare you.
As in, let’s play a quick game of Truth or Dare. Minus the truths. But, not quite excluding them – because they’re now submerged within the dares.
Okay. Ready?
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I dare you to take inventory right now of who/what you value most that is RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.
In the spirit on The Alchemist, I dare you to identify your #1 obligation – and share it with someone.
I dare you to find beauty in nature at least once every day.
And finally, I dare you to reach out to me if you’re reading my blog.
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I say that last one already knowing that most of you won’t. But I know that some of you might, and I am happy to hear from you, good or bad.
Beyond identifying your goals, accepting dares & raising the stakes to heighten your focus, I want to throw in the importance of two other factors:
- Feedback
- Faith
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Until next time…..(I’ll be back once more before Christmas!) some quotes to leave you with…..
“It is necessary for me to deliver with excellence here because that is who I am.”
“We’ve got about 50 years of work in psychology saying do not tie your efforts to your identity… Except, it turns out that high performers flip that on its face and go, ‘Well actually, um, no. I do get bothered if it fails. I really get upset about it. I am attached to the process here.”
– Brendon Burchard on How to Become a High Performer, on “Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu” podcast 11/28/17
“We have been given eyes to see what the light-year worlds cannot see of themselves. We have been given hands to touch the miraculous. We have been given hearts to know the incredible… Too soon from the cave, too far from the stars. We must ignore the whispers from the cave that say, 'Stay.’ We must listen to the stars that say, ‘Come.’”
– Ray Bradbury, “Too soon from the cave, too far from the stars” essay
“‘The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.’”
– The wisest of wise men from “The Alchemist”
PS: Winter solstice today means starting tomorrow, the DAYS WILL GET LONGER!!!