Wow! It's been nearly 10 months since I last posted here - time to check in for sure!
In the last post - MaXIMIze! - Re-Evaluate - we talked about evaluating and rating our satisfaction in six areas of our lives - career, relationships, physical well-being, financial well-being, spiritual well-being, and overall well-being. I shared that my ratings in those areas at that time were:
Career - 6
Financial Well-Being - 6
Physical Well-Being - 7
Spiritual Well-Being - 7
Overall Well-Being - 7
Relationships - 8
I also stated that any area under an 8 rating probably needs attention, and that I'd be working on the areas of career, financial well-being, and physical well-being this year.
Well, two of the three definitely got attention this year - career and financial well-being.
Since January, I changed jobs (got a promotion) and am back with an agency I spent 19 years with previously. It was a homecoming of sorts for me, and I am in a job that I enjoy - doing work that is meaningful and just challenging enough without over-the-top stress levels. So, my satisfaction rating in the area of career is back up to a solid 8, maybe even close to a 9.
Also since January, my life partner and I bought a house together, so each of our living expenses - at least those related to our abode - are cut in half. So, I have been able to put more funds toward paying off debt - which is a very good thing! My credit rating dropped a bit due to adding the mortgage to the rest of my debt load, but as I pay down (off) my credit debt and bad reports age off my credit report, my credit score will increase - I've already seen this happening since two of my credit cards share this information with their customers on their websites. I have a plan that will allow me to be debt free - other than the mortgage of course - in about 2 1/2 years. So, my satisfaction rating in the area of financial well-being is a solid 7, and will increase as my debt is paid off and I can shift the funds going toward that toward savings instead. Oh, and my savings account is growing as well, since I budget funds for that out of every paycheck. My goal there is $30,000, and I am 10% there right now! As a ratio of savings to debt repayment - I am putting 12% of what I pay toward debt to my savings account.
Physical well-being is where I haven't been as diligent as I could be. Just over a month ago I started faithfully entering my consumption into the health app on my phone. Tracking that, and working to eat healthier and lowering my alcohol consumption, I lost three pounds in a month - I have at least 15 to go, but 3 is a good start! I need to increase my physical activity level to accelerate the process even more. So, my satisfaction rate for the physical well-being area remains at 7 - however, I am making progress in that area, slowly but surely!
So, what I am aiming for in all areas of my life is progress, not perfection. It took time to get where I was, and where I am now, and it will take time to reach the goals I've set for myself in all areas of my life.
By focusing on the positive and tracking progress regularly, I can stay on course, even when setbacks occur. I am thankful that I have reached a place financially where I can pay for car repairs - and car insurance - without resorting to using a credit card or paying monthly payments (in the case of car insurance) - both of which save me money in the long run! I am thankful seeing my credit debt go down month after month, and that I can see a light at the end of the tunnel there. I am thankful that my relationship with money has matured to the point where this is possible!
I am thankful that by tracking my food and drink consumption, I have lost a few pounds,and look forward to losing even more! I am thankful that I am eating healthier and drinking less alcohol.
I know that, by having a plan - and working the plan, I will attain my goals. And that increases my satisfaction ratings in all areas of life!
How are you doing with your goals? How satisfied are you with your life? Where can you see progress and possibly even the light at the end of the tunnel?
Keep moving forward, even through the setbacks. Remember, a setback is a setup for a comeback!
Until next time, Namaste!
Friday, November 8, 2019
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
MaXiMIze - Re-Evaluate
Those of you who have followed this blog know about this exercise already. For those who don't here it is!
Take a piece of paper - printer paper works just fine - and draw a circle on it. Make it a big circle, don't skimp!
Divide the circle into six pieces, and label them - career, relationships, physical well-being, financial well-being, spiritual well-being, and overall well-being.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, rate your satisfaction in each of these areas of your life.
Mark on the circle in each area your rating of that area.
If you draw lines in each segment of the level of your ratings, you may find you have a very rickety wheel!
My ratings are as follows:
Career - 6
Financial Well-Being - 6
Physical Well-Being - 7
Spiritual Well-Being - 7
Overall Well-Being - 7
Relationships - 8
So, you can imagine what my wheel/circle looks like.
Any area under an 8 rating probably needs attention, so I'll be working on career, financial well-being, and physical well-being this year for sure! Spiritual well-being and overall well-being will increase as the others do, as they are, like life, all interconnected!
What areas will you be working on this year?
Until next time, Namaste!
Take a piece of paper - printer paper works just fine - and draw a circle on it. Make it a big circle, don't skimp!
Divide the circle into six pieces, and label them - career, relationships, physical well-being, financial well-being, spiritual well-being, and overall well-being.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, rate your satisfaction in each of these areas of your life.
Mark on the circle in each area your rating of that area.
If you draw lines in each segment of the level of your ratings, you may find you have a very rickety wheel!
My ratings are as follows:
Career - 6
Financial Well-Being - 6
Physical Well-Being - 7
Spiritual Well-Being - 7
Overall Well-Being - 7
Relationships - 8
So, you can imagine what my wheel/circle looks like.
Any area under an 8 rating probably needs attention, so I'll be working on career, financial well-being, and physical well-being this year for sure! Spiritual well-being and overall well-being will increase as the others do, as they are, like life, all interconnected!
What areas will you be working on this year?
Until next time, Namaste!
Thursday, January 3, 2019
MaXIMIze - Reset
I can't believe I haven't posted to this blog since April!
A lot has happened since then, situations that made me rethink some things and make some changes.
First was nearly having a nervous breakdown from the stress I was putting on myself because one of my employees was not performing a tasking given to him for the performance period. I took so much ownership of that situation that I nearly broke myself. Finally, I let go of the ownership and let the employee succeed - or in this case, fail - on his own. Yes, in spite of being given the opportunity and assistance from an experienced team, he chose to flat out refuse to take on the task. Unfortunately this led to a poor performance rating and disciplinary action for this intelligent and talented individual. And - made me realize that being a supervisor was definitely not something I wanted to do for the long term.
Second was realizing that I was in an organization that, due to lack of funding and personnel, and the attitude of leadership to succeed at all costs, was causing serious health issues and taking over my life.
I felt overworked and undervalued, and my life was not my own. Even the weekend respites with my significant other were not alleviating the stress as they had in the past due to the pressures from my job.
I made the decision to find another job that was non-supervisory and back in a career field I enjoyed and was relatively good at, even if that meant taking a cut in pay.
I was successful in doing so, and am now - finally - co-habitating with my significant other. My stress level is much lower even with combining households, buying a house together, and me being furloughed due to a lapse in funding for the agency I work for - which would have happened even if I had stayed where I was. Thankfully, my significant other's agency is funded through the end of September (the Federal fiscal year), and we are down to one residence, and one set of household bills.
Of course, the long term effects of the previous stress are still rippling through, particularly in my health, however, being with him and in a lower-stress job will alleviate some of those effects in the long run, as will getting back to extreme self-care - following the path I had strayed from over the past year.
To that end, I am reinvigorating this blog and reevaluating the six main areas of my life - health, relationships, career, financial, spiritual, and overall well-being - and beginning again.
I hope you will join me on this journey - your path is your own, of course, and our paths will likely run parallel at times - and may we all practice extreme self care and grow in 2019!
Until next time, Namaste!
A lot has happened since then, situations that made me rethink some things and make some changes.
First was nearly having a nervous breakdown from the stress I was putting on myself because one of my employees was not performing a tasking given to him for the performance period. I took so much ownership of that situation that I nearly broke myself. Finally, I let go of the ownership and let the employee succeed - or in this case, fail - on his own. Yes, in spite of being given the opportunity and assistance from an experienced team, he chose to flat out refuse to take on the task. Unfortunately this led to a poor performance rating and disciplinary action for this intelligent and talented individual. And - made me realize that being a supervisor was definitely not something I wanted to do for the long term.
Second was realizing that I was in an organization that, due to lack of funding and personnel, and the attitude of leadership to succeed at all costs, was causing serious health issues and taking over my life.
I felt overworked and undervalued, and my life was not my own. Even the weekend respites with my significant other were not alleviating the stress as they had in the past due to the pressures from my job.
I made the decision to find another job that was non-supervisory and back in a career field I enjoyed and was relatively good at, even if that meant taking a cut in pay.
I was successful in doing so, and am now - finally - co-habitating with my significant other. My stress level is much lower even with combining households, buying a house together, and me being furloughed due to a lapse in funding for the agency I work for - which would have happened even if I had stayed where I was. Thankfully, my significant other's agency is funded through the end of September (the Federal fiscal year), and we are down to one residence, and one set of household bills.
Of course, the long term effects of the previous stress are still rippling through, particularly in my health, however, being with him and in a lower-stress job will alleviate some of those effects in the long run, as will getting back to extreme self-care - following the path I had strayed from over the past year.
To that end, I am reinvigorating this blog and reevaluating the six main areas of my life - health, relationships, career, financial, spiritual, and overall well-being - and beginning again.
I hope you will join me on this journey - your path is your own, of course, and our paths will likely run parallel at times - and may we all practice extreme self care and grow in 2019!
Until next time, Namaste!
Sunday, April 22, 2018
MaXIMIze - The Maze is in the Mouse
I just finished reading two must-read books this week - Dale Carnegie's "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" and Deepak Malhotra's "I Moved Your Cheese."
We all know in our hearts that worry doesn't solve anything. It just robs the present of its pleasures AND our attention. It can also take our health and vitality from us if we let focus on it instead of letting go and living in the present.
If you feel yourself going down the dark path of worry, stop, breathe, and ask yourself what is truly the worst thing that can happen. To get to this determination - what is truly the worst that could happen - focus on the if/then - IF this happens, or better yet, if I do this, THEN this is the likely consequence - the likely REALISTIC consequence.
Then, ask yourself why that potential consequence scares you so much. Worry is a direct relation to Fear, and if we face Fear head on, we lessen its power over us.
Then, turn your focus to the flip side - what is the BEST that can happen from the situation.
And, somewhere in-between the two, is the most likely, most realistic outcome of the situation.
Just for today. Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof. Today - this moment - the present. That is where our focus needs to be.
Yesterday is done and gone. Tomorrow is not yet here. Focus on the here and now, not on the there and then.
These are the lessons I am most strongly reminded of from Dale Carnegie's book.
The second book is a rejoinder, a sort of retort if you will, to the now-classic "Who Moved My Cheese" by Spencer Johnson. And, it is where the title of this blog came from - the maze is in the mouse. A very deep thought to ponder indeed, and a strong reminder that we need to be willing to ask those tough questions - Why? being the toughest sometimes - of not only others, but more importantly ourselves - AND to be willing to dig deep for the answers. True change comes from within - within organizations and from within individuals before that.
We as individuals need to acknowledge and accept that our perception of the way things are is likely not REALITY - it may be our reality, but it is not the REALITY - and to be willing to let go of our reality in order to see the REALITY. Only by doing that on an individual level, can we truly effect change at a collective level - whether that be organizationally, societally, or both.
Reading "I Moved Your Cheese" was a Zen moment, a deep AH-HA moment for me.
Couple these with meeting and talking with Joe Ben Jr. and Zach Ben, two artists who create sand paintings and are medicine people from the Dine people (Navajo Nation), about how to truly effect change in ourselves and our communities (HINT: it is not simply by protesting, folks - as Gandhi said, you must be the change you want to see in the world), it was an amazing weekend!
What is the perception you need to acknowledge and let go of in order to be the change you wish to see in the world?
Until next time, NAMASTE!
We all know in our hearts that worry doesn't solve anything. It just robs the present of its pleasures AND our attention. It can also take our health and vitality from us if we let focus on it instead of letting go and living in the present.
If you feel yourself going down the dark path of worry, stop, breathe, and ask yourself what is truly the worst thing that can happen. To get to this determination - what is truly the worst that could happen - focus on the if/then - IF this happens, or better yet, if I do this, THEN this is the likely consequence - the likely REALISTIC consequence.
Then, ask yourself why that potential consequence scares you so much. Worry is a direct relation to Fear, and if we face Fear head on, we lessen its power over us.
Then, turn your focus to the flip side - what is the BEST that can happen from the situation.
And, somewhere in-between the two, is the most likely, most realistic outcome of the situation.
Just for today. Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof. Today - this moment - the present. That is where our focus needs to be.
Yesterday is done and gone. Tomorrow is not yet here. Focus on the here and now, not on the there and then.
These are the lessons I am most strongly reminded of from Dale Carnegie's book.
The second book is a rejoinder, a sort of retort if you will, to the now-classic "Who Moved My Cheese" by Spencer Johnson. And, it is where the title of this blog came from - the maze is in the mouse. A very deep thought to ponder indeed, and a strong reminder that we need to be willing to ask those tough questions - Why? being the toughest sometimes - of not only others, but more importantly ourselves - AND to be willing to dig deep for the answers. True change comes from within - within organizations and from within individuals before that.
We as individuals need to acknowledge and accept that our perception of the way things are is likely not REALITY - it may be our reality, but it is not the REALITY - and to be willing to let go of our reality in order to see the REALITY. Only by doing that on an individual level, can we truly effect change at a collective level - whether that be organizationally, societally, or both.
Reading "I Moved Your Cheese" was a Zen moment, a deep AH-HA moment for me.
Couple these with meeting and talking with Joe Ben Jr. and Zach Ben, two artists who create sand paintings and are medicine people from the Dine people (Navajo Nation), about how to truly effect change in ourselves and our communities (HINT: it is not simply by protesting, folks - as Gandhi said, you must be the change you want to see in the world), it was an amazing weekend!
What is the perception you need to acknowledge and let go of in order to be the change you wish to see in the world?
Until next time, NAMASTE!
Sunday, April 1, 2018
MaXIMIze - Just for Today
As we are now in April, which is National Poetry Month, and which has a challenge of writing 30 poems in 30 days, for today's coaching post I'm sharing with you what came forth when I focused on the thought "Just for Today."
Just for today - you are enough, you do enough, you have enough
Just for today - believe in yourself, believe in your words, just believe
Just for today - be your dreams, be your prayers, just be
Just for today - whatever you are called to do, do it
Just for today - whatever you are called to be, be it
Just for today - stand in the truth that is you - own that truth, live that truth
Just for today - namaste, namaste, namaste!
I know this is not a usual poetry form, however, it fit the thoughts that came with "Just for Today." As long as we stay in the present, we can do what needs to be done, Just for Today. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, so why not focus on Just for Today?
Until next time, Namaste!
Just for today - you are enough, you do enough, you have enough
Just for today - believe in yourself, believe in your words, just believe
Just for today - be your dreams, be your prayers, just be
Just for today - whatever you are called to do, do it
Just for today - whatever you are called to be, be it
Just for today - stand in the truth that is you - own that truth, live that truth
Just for today - namaste, namaste, namaste!
I know this is not a usual poetry form, however, it fit the thoughts that came with "Just for Today." As long as we stay in the present, we can do what needs to be done, Just for Today. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, so why not focus on Just for Today?
Until next time, Namaste!
Sunday, March 18, 2018
MaXIMIze - Spring Equinox - Finding Balance
The Spring and Fall Equinoxes are when Day and Night are equal, and the day is balanced rather than tipped toward more or less of daylight or darkness. They are a reminder that there is a cycle of life, and there are times we have it easier and times we have it harder than others.
We have had a lot of discussion about work-life balance in recent months, and I am reminded by the upcoming Equinox that true balance comes rarely. Our focus is usually directed at one or more specific areas in our lives, not evenly at all six at any given time.
Our lives are full of peaks and valleys, not mesas or plateaus. Those come too, but as resting places, not permanent residences.
Whether we spend more time climbing peaks or sliding into the valleys depends on our choices in life. Sometimes life throws us a curveball and knocks us into the valleys, however we can choose to continue the downward slide, or we can choose to grab that branch, break our fall, and being our climb to the peak once more.
So where are you in life - sliding down in a valley or climbing toward that peak?
Until next time, Namaste!
We have had a lot of discussion about work-life balance in recent months, and I am reminded by the upcoming Equinox that true balance comes rarely. Our focus is usually directed at one or more specific areas in our lives, not evenly at all six at any given time.
Our lives are full of peaks and valleys, not mesas or plateaus. Those come too, but as resting places, not permanent residences.
Whether we spend more time climbing peaks or sliding into the valleys depends on our choices in life. Sometimes life throws us a curveball and knocks us into the valleys, however we can choose to continue the downward slide, or we can choose to grab that branch, break our fall, and being our climb to the peak once more.
So where are you in life - sliding down in a valley or climbing toward that peak?
Until next time, Namaste!
Sunday, March 11, 2018
MaXIMIze - What do You Want, You Really, Really Want?
We sprang forward time-wise this morning, a notice that Spring is just around the corner. And with that, this is a good time to really look at what it is we want to accomplish this year, so we can move forward toward our goals.
In order to do so successfully, we need to figure out what it is we truly want, put it out to the universe, and then work toward it diligently. If we are in alignment and focus, we will get what it is we are truly working toward.
In Suze Orman's book, The Money Class, she says to "stand in your truth." This takes deep work, peeling back the layers until you are seeing things clearly and unflinchingly, acknowledging the truth of your particular present situation and the work and commitment required to move from where you are right here, right now, to where it is you truly want to be.
So, where do you truly want to be in your life, and what are you going to have to commit to and do in order to get there? How are you going to stand in your truth in order to do so?
Until next time, Namaste!
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