Sharpening my saw Today instead of Feb.29

Good morning Viphilus...

I'm still getting used to Nova Scotia's new "family day" holiday ... which I forgot was today.

Therefore, instead of taking a break on Feb.29 as originally advertised, I will take today off and bump the next two posts one week into the future.

See you back next Monday for a closer look at Habit # 2.


Omegaman

Habit # 1 - Be Proactive (biblically speaking)

Welcome back Viphilus*

OK, let's launch into Covey's 7 Habits.

In case you missed last week's intro, what I am doing for the next 2 months is to talk about the biblical origins of Stephen Covey's principles outlined in his amazing 1989 best seller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (powerful lessons in personal change).

Merriam-Webster defines “proactive” as acting in anticipation of future problems, needs or changes.

The business world throws this word around with abandon without always fully comprehending both the depth and breadth of its intent. The best way that I can think of describing it is by referencing Aristotle’s famous quote, “we are what we repeatedly do.” My point is that this is NOT ONLY what Aristotle said. Without the full quote, the complete contextual understanding of that statement is lost. Here is the full quote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”

Being proactive is not an act … nor is it a thought; it is a habit. It is a mindset. Better yet … it is a heart-set.

Discussions about the word “proactive” usually include considering the difference between proactive and reactive, with the understanding that it is better to choose how to respond to an event or a circumstance before it happens rather than waiting for the vagaries of life to deliver up the circumstance and then hoping that you will respond appropriately during “battle conditions.”

But it goes much further than this. Look at the definition again from above. Someone who is proactive looks ahead and anticipates events or problems or changes or needs … and then acts in a manner to prepare for that eventuality. The entirety of Emergency Management (sometimes called Disaster management) theory is predicated on having such a mindset / heart-set because it teaches us to anticipate events or circumstances that may create enormous problems for large populations; events like big storms. When I oversaw the forecast operations for the Canadian Hurricane Centre a big part of my job was to liaise with emergency managers. That work naturally fell along 4 distinct lines of effort: mitigation (which included prevention); preparedness (which included the development of readiness plans); response (which included the execution of those plans); and recovery (which included all efforts, following the event, to bring the affected areas back to their original state … or better).

Emergency management thinking is not new. In fact, the first Bible passage which I want to point to today actually proves that mitigative thinking has been in our collective wisdom for a very long time. The passage is from Matthew 7 where Jesus tells a parable of two builders: one who is foolish and one who is wise.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  (Matthew 7:24-27)

This parable shows the cost of not looking ahead and planning for inevitable outcomes. I’m not looking for us to wade into the murky waters of cost-to-benefit ratios or risk-analyses. I’m speaking about the inevitable things that we know are GOING to happen such that the only questions will be about when? rather than if? Jesus’ parable runs on the assumption that big storms are going to happen, so why not do the work of preparing for them. And notice that his praise and indictment come from the actions or inactions. Knowing isn’t enough; wisdom tells you that action is needed. Now he has just told his listeners a lot of stuff. The “stuff” makes up Jesus’ most famous sermon, often called, “the sermon on the mount.” In this parable Jesus is telling his listeners that their wisdom or foolishness will be determined by whether or not they do anything with everything he has just taught them. More specifically, to start implementing his teachings into their lives immediately and to not simply wait for the storms of life to arrive before they start dealing with them because in those cases, it will likely be too late.

Back in the 1990s, a very popular phrase became a viral motto that ran throughout evangelical Christianity in North America: “What would Jesus do?” It quickly became an acronym, WWJD, which showed up on T-shirts and bracelets. Christians would use this phrase as a reminding question to themselves to reflect on their moral imperative to act in a manner that would demonstrate their allegiance to Jesus. From the moment the slogan hit the streets it never sat well with me, although I couldn’t articulate why … until I read Dallas Willard’s thoughts on it. The USC theology & philosophy professor mused that a better acronym most certainly would be WDJD … “what DID Jesus do?”  Dr. Willard’s point? The only way that we would have the ability to respond---in battle conditions---the way Jesus did, and make the right moral judgments, would be to have spent decades in personal training of mind and heart, like Jesus did. In other words, the only reason Jesus was able to DO the things that he was able to do was because of all the things that he had DONE in training himself for those very moments. Jesus had a proactive nature and spent decades building invulnerability and readiness into his character so that in moments of extreme testing, his training and preparation determined the outcome, not the severity of the event or his emotional state at the time.

Before I close out this week I want to point out that this isn’t the only biblical passage that highlights proactivity. There are many more that speak about looking ahead at threats or inevitable outcomes and how we should prepare and not simply wait to react. Like:

1 Peter 5:8 – “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Peter states the threat (the devil), uses a simile to make it understandable (he is like a roaring lion on the prowl), and a course of action (be alert and of sober mind).

Biblical Example
This was an easy choice. Perhaps one of the most famous stories in the entire Bible is the story of Joseph. Joseph was the 2nd youngest of 12 sons of a man named Jacob, who's name was changed by God to the name Israel (yes, after whom the nation was named). The story of Joseph makes for a Hollywood blockbuster and accounts for 1/3 of the entire book of Genesis. For a biblical example of proactive thinking I want to zoom right in to near the end of the story in Genesis 41. As we pick up the action, Joseph is a prisoner in an Egyptian jail. One day (skipping all the details) he gets invited to interpret a vision that God had given the Pharaoh in a dream. His interpretation was that a period of abundance was coming but would be followed by a long famine (obviously driven by a long drought - the best stories always have a weather component to them). Pharaoh was so impressed at Joseph’s interpretation and his advice about how to mitigate and prepare for the famine that he not only let him out of jail, but he promoted him to vice-Pharaoh over all Egypt. Now that's quite a leap ... from zero to hero ... from jail to ruler over everything. Pharaoh recognized wisdom when he saw it, and he saw it in a young guy who practiced proactive thinking.

Now I haven’t scoured history books to know if Joseph was actually the first Emergency Manager in history, but one thing is for sure … being ready to respond when a storm comes (or a drought) is ancient advice that is just as prudent today as it was 5000 years ago.

And speaking of wisdom, King Solomon, referenced in the Bible as the wisest man in the world, wrote a great deal about being proactive. Didn't know that? Just read Proverbs. 

Proverbs 21:5 - The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

Proverbs 24:27 - Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.

In the movie, The Great Debaters, which I love, is an interesting scene about proactive living. Forest Whitaker plays a preacher who tries to instill in his son the importance of doing your personal character work first so that you can reap the benefits later. His advice to his son goes something like, "Do what you have to so that you can do what you want to."

I believe that this is exactly how Jesus lived his life. He did what he had to in order to be able to do what he wanted to (or needed to). If you want to do what Jesus could do then you’ll need to start doing what Jesus did to create that skilled capacity. Train! Or, if you want to play piano like Billy Joel then you will need to start doing what he did to reach his level of skill and mastery. Train! Or, if you want to think critically with discernment then seek out the wisest person that you know and ask them to describe what they did to get that way …. then start doing that (and I guarantee that it will be some form of training). 

Maybe though you aren’t striving to be the wisest most Godly piano player on the planet … maybe you just want to exercise self-control over your mouth when someone inadvertently hits one of your “buttons,” or you want to supervise an employee in a way that better engages him, or you want to make sure that you have the right skills to do your dream job, or you want to make sure that your home is ready to handle a big storm, or you want to have enough money to buy a home in the first place. Regardless, the foundational approach is the same. You have to look ahead in anticipation of an inevitable (or desired) event and begin preparing for that now. AND ... you have to learn to think that way with everything that matters. That’s what it means to be proactive.

Now I’m going to be proactive on your behalf and look ahead to next week when we consider Habit # 2, which is …. wait for it … to begin with the end in mind. Notice that both of the first two habits are about seeing more clearly into the future in order to more effectively choose your actions now in order to create it.

I hope to see you back next Monday.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

The 7 Habits – where did Covey find them?

Happy February Viphilus*

2016 is screaming by with January already in the rear-view mirror.

As promised, I am committing the next two months to reviewing Stephen Covey’s, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” (1989), from a specific angle … to highlight where he came up with these principles. When I start to have this conversation with people who have actually read the book they halt at my first point and want to argue. Then I simply direct them to locate their copy (it needs to be theirs so that they won’t think I’ve slipped them an altered joke-version … so that they realize what I told them has been in their copy all along and that they simply didn’t see it).

And what is that first point? Actually, it is the entire point of the next two months in this blog. Covey gets his 7 habits from guiding principles that he read in God’s Word. Yep: the Bible!  (the exclamation mark is inappropriate  - I’ve just added it for my own emphasis … as if a dramatic base-chord is being played while you read it).

And the push-back I get from people is actually quite funny because they almost stumble over their own incredulity because nothing as amazing as the 7 Habits book could possible come from something as ancient as the Bible. And I get it … for many (most) the Bible is an antiquated collection of writings, filled with errors, inconsistencies, prejudices and the gross un-enlightenment of a by-gone era.

Yah – not so much. Just look around at the most common struggles and dysfunctions that you see in our society (or your own life or family) and you’ll see some absolutes being violated that are pretty much self-evident when trying to diagnose the root causes. People rail against these truths without stopping to realize that the social data is so overwhelmingly stacked against them … resulting in my own incredulity about why people just don’t get it.

So for Feb and Mar I don’t want to preach … I simply want to connect the dots, at least as best as I can surmise. Covey says in his “personal note” at the end of the last chapter that he gets his principles from the Bible, but he doesn’t actually point out chapters and verses …. He simply makes the general statement. My intention for the next 2 months is to actually show you the chapters and verses with some brief explanations, at least as far as I can speculate about why Covey chose these particular 7 principles/practices.

This week I simply want to list his 7 habits.

The first 3 Habits are concerned with developing independence … focusing on your private world (the term “private world” is one that I first encountered from Gordon MacDonald, in his 1984 book, “Ordering Your Private World.”) It is about developing self-mastery.

HABIT # 1 – Be proactive
Don’t adopt a reactive attitude, simply waiting for things to happen to you before you respond. Rather, choose how you will respond effectively before something happens.

HABIT # 2 – Begin with the end in mind
Envision what you want in the future so that you can plan and work towards it.

HABIT # 3 – Put first things first
Learn the difference between important and urgent and prioritize life so that things aren’t done simply because they are urgent.

The second 3 Habits are concerned with developing interdependence … focusing on your public world. It is about getting along with others.

HABIT # 4 – Think Win:Win
Value and respect others and understand that a “win” for everyone is ultimately the best long-term solution for both you and the other person.

HABIT # 5 – Seek first to understand, then to be understood
Learn to listen empathically in order to create strong relational environments where problem-solving will be at its best.

HABIT # 6 – Synergize
Combine the strengths of team members while mitigating against their weaknesses, ultimately achieving more together than what is possible individually.

The final habit is about sustainability and continuous improvement in both your private and public worlds.

HABIT # 7 – Sharpen the saw
Balance and renew your resources (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, social) in order to sustainably build personal capacity.

Homework for next Monday: see if you can come up with your own biblical reference to support habit 1 about being proactive.

Have a great week and I hope to see you back next Monday.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

FRESH START MENTALLY: Self-awareness

Welcome back Viphilus*

My final post for our fresh-start month is about looking into our mind and becoming aware of what we see.

I have already written quite a bit about this last year and I encourage you to take a look at (perhaps again) my posts on March 23 and November 2 if you desire something more. Both of those posts are actually more comprehensive than what I’m going to do here today. Today I’m keeping it incredibly simple. All I’m suggesting is that you ask yourself five (5) deeply personal questions … but spend as much time as humanly possible on doing the research about yourself to find the answers. In the end, the more you learn, the more transformative it will be for you.

The questions are alarmingly innocuous and, well …. dis-alarming. But very wise people have literally recreated themselves when they have used these questions as powerful tools. With each question I have included a corollary question to deepen your sense of why the question might be important to you.

In your fresh-start for 2016, try taking them seriously. Ready?  OK, here we go. 

1.    What would you do if you weren’t afraid? (is the life you are living worth what you are giving up to have it?)

2.    What/who is at your centre? (what is the reason why you do what you do)?

3.    What’s the best day that you have had at work in the last 6-12 months and what made it so good (do you know how to repeat it)?

4.    What is your best practice for recovering and even building personal energy (and is it actually working for you?)

5.    If your personal beliefs, principles and convictions were suddenly declared by society to be illegal, would there be enough evidence to convict you, based on your actions alone? (do your principles and convictions serve as a personal gyroscope for your behaviour?)

None of those questions are my invention. I am sharing them with you because they were some of the key questions presented to me which helped spawn my rebirth as an engaged human being 10-12 years ago.

OK that’s it Viphilus … see you next month as I begin looking at the core truths behind Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits.

I hope to see you back next Monday.

Blessings,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

FRESH START SPIRITUALLY: Simplicity

Welcome back Viphilus*

Simplicity is the supreme excellence. It is a spiritual discipline. So why then do people think they can only learn this from a “business book?"

OK, got a wee bit ahead of myself … I’ll come back to that thought.

At its root, simplicity is about keeping life free of obligations and things which draw you off your proper life-path … the purpose and simple single-minded thing which is what you are supposed to do.

In the 1960s, a TV show took America by storm as it sought to capture the conflict between our shallow desires for the complex trappings of modern life and our deep desire for the simple life: “Green Acres.” But this wasn’t the first time that man had acknowledged the need to pursue simplicity. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) made the now-famous statement, “Our life is frittered away by detail … Simplify! simplify! simplify!” … Simplicity of life and elevation of purpose.” At a young age Thoreau demonstrated wisdom beyond his age when he wrote, Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings. He was also quoted to say, “as you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”

Let me bathe you in even more quotes because this theme has captured our hearts since the beginning of time.

“I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind.” – Albert Einstein

“The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are more important to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.” – Thomas More

“Simplicity, clarity, singleness: these are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy.” – Richard Halloway

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” – Hans Hoffman

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”  – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The training that I provide for transformational living is built on the premise that you need to move in the direction of simplicity. But to do so ironically involves the complex process of adding new burdens of structured time and structured effort in order to figure out what you ARE doing, what you need to STOP doing, and what you need to START doing, in order to develop a simple life.

But … why the NEED for simplicity?

Our lives are complex and fraught with trouble because we make them that way. We load ourselves down with too many obligations, too many responsibilities, too many things, too much stuff, too many #1 priorities … and like the juggler who frantically tries juggling more than he can juggle, many/all things get dropped when we exceed our capacity.

Warning – Christian stuff ahead, but it’s worth hanging in there if this kind of spirituality isn’t your cup of tea … I promise. You’ll get my point in a few paragraphs.

Christian teachers (the real gurus), have been trying to teach us this for centuries. Richard Foster has a sobering rant in his 1978, Celebration of Discipline: “We crave things we neither need nor enjoy. We buy things we do not want to impress people we do not like. Where planned obsolescence leaves off, psychological obsolescence takes over. We are made to feel ashamed to wear clothes or drive cars until they are worn out. The mass media have convinced us that to be out of step with fashion is to be out of step with reality … until we see how unbalanced our culture has become at this point we will not be able to deal with the mammon (materialistic) spirit within ourselves nor will we desire Christian simplicity.” In Freedom of Simplicity, Foster indicts, "Stop trying to impress people with your clothes and impress them with your life."

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:24 and 6:33 that we need to keep things simple and figure out which master we’re going to serve, because trying to serve more than one just doesn’t work. Jesus suggests a simple approach which brings all things in line for us: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt.6:33)   Wise man, that Jesus!  Let’s put that quote in a box to draw attention to it.

What’s He saying? When you read the surrounding text for the fuller context, it’s clear; when we simplify our life, the things and events of life become richer, because we have the freedom of time and mind to enjoy them. And when we make Christ the centre of our life and pursue Him with a singleness of mind and heart, the distinction between URGENT and IMPORTANT stand out (I discussed these in my blog last March 9 and March 16).

Foster cautions us to not be deceived into thinking we can possess the inward reality of simplicity without its having a profound effect on how we live; and to attempt to arrange an outward life-style of simplicity without the inward reality leads to deadly legalism. Kierkegaard’s book title, “Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing,” captures the essence of purpose-based living … with that singleness of mind being holiness: pursuit of a relationship with God through Christ.

To be holy is to be sacred, which is to be sanctified. Something that (or someone who) is sanctified is a thing or person devoted exclusively to the use and purpose of God. This means to have a single purpose. Foster correctly states (hard to believe he wrote this in 1978) that the lack of a single focus around which life is aligned for modern man leaves him fractured and fragmented, “trapped in a maze of competing attachments.” Jesus’ admonition to His followers gives them both the strategy and the tactics … seek God first and the rest will sort itself out. This sounds like the modern business strategy of focusing on outputs (the things we CAN do and control) and hope for the appropriate outcomes (the intended impacts of the chain of outputs). Can it really be this simple? Get your relationship with God sorted out first and then your relationship with everything else in your life will find its proper place? Really? Yes – Scripture is unwavering in this message.

The Apostle Paul cautions us to not get involved in things which draw us off this focus because they distract us and weigh us down with emotional burdens. He gives an extreme example, but it makes the point; he recommends that people don’t get married, but rather, remain single, so that they can use their time fully in the service of God,  rather than losing much of that time and energy to domestic affairs. But he is also realistic … he says that if that cannot be done because of an uncontrollable libido, well then, go ahead and get married. (1 Cor.7:1-7)  His point?  Focusing on one thing is  simpler … and simpler is best.

Not a Christian but still hanging in there? Good … I’m about to connect the dots for you.

All of this makes it clear that a complex life is one which can draw us away from God and threatens our eternal security. But within this life, complexity heaps more stress on us than we can handle, and anxiety is the result. Chronic anxiety is the emotional result of a misdirected spiritual life. Return now to the Matthew 6 passage, but read it in its entirety:  Matthew 6:24-34. Simplicity is the result of a life focused on putting the first thing first: God and His righteousness. Everything else will fall in its proper place and perspective.

And now let me connect the dots!

CEO Magazine named StephenCovey’s book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” as the most influential business book of the 20th century!  OK, soak that in.

the most influential business book of the 20th century!

Why? Because it brought together in one book the key principles and practices for making life work. I understand why business people have glommed onto this book as a business book … but IT IS NOT A BUSINESS BOOK … IT IS A BOOK ABOUT EFFECTIVE LIVING. (sorry for yelling – but it makes me crazy when people short-sightedly see the business context only).

What I like best is Covey’s personal note immediately following the final page of the final chapter … his note about where he got his 7 principles from. He got them from the Bible, although he doesn’t connect chapter and verse to his 7 Habits (I will actually do this in February and March … hope you’ll join me for that ride).

Covey’s HABIT # 3 is about “Putting First Things First,” (in order for other things to sort themselves out in your life). Sounds familiar? It should … you just read above where Covey got that “habit” from: Matthew 6:33.

Simplify!

Before I leave you for this week, let me offer one helpful reflection (note: for my clients I suggest a variety of reflections and rituals, but I gotta keep this blog short).

REFLECTION on SIMPLICITY
Buck Rogers, the IBM executive who took the company’s growth from $250 million to $50 billion describes the secret of their success quite simply; “we’ve just learned how to do the simple things well.” Ponder what this would mean in your life. What are the simple things that you should learn how to do well?

I hope to see you back next Monday when we close out this month by looking at a fresh mental start.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

FRESH START PHYSICALLY: Intentional Movement

Welcome back Viphilus*

I want our “fresh start” month to have a little bit of everything: physical; emotional; mental and spiritual. Why? Because we are an integration of these 4 things and while we have the ability to speak about them separately, the reality is that they are fused in an inseparably complex way.

Perhaps the best demonstration of your need to recognize the importance of being fully integrated (mind, body, heart and spirit) can be seen through the importance of physicality or simple movement. This is a fact of great importance considering our 21st century western lifestyle which is predominantly sedentary. That lifestyle has led to an obesity epidemic (something I struggle with myself); but that’s not the main reason for being physical … it’s mostly about body chemistry.

The following is written by Chris Jordan in Loehr’s and Groppel’s The Corporate Athlete Advantage: “Almost every cell in your body derives its energy from glucose and oxygen … from the food you eat and the air you breathe. But eating and breathing aren’t enough. The glucose and oxygen must be transported to those cells via blood; not until then is there energy production. Therefore, the circulation of blood plays a vital role in energy production. Anything which compromises blood flow also compromises energy, in essence your ability to function. When blood flow to part of the heart or to the brain is blocked, heart attacks and strokes result! Now, can you think of anything in your life which may impair blood circulation in a daily basis? How about sitting?”

Really?

Below is an excerpt from an elementary school teacher’s handbook, adapted for YOU, the adult.

Besides reducing the risks associated with childhood your obesity, physical activity is important for other reasons. Regular physical activity helps children you build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints; builds lean muscle and reduce fat; prevents or delays the development of high blood pressure; reduces feelings of depression and anxiety; and may, through its effect on mental health, increase students' your capacity for learning.

With these facts in mind, it is imperative that we you, as teachers a self-learner, help reduce the amount of physical inactivity, by increasing the amount of physical activity opportunities that children you have during the school your day. Being physically active not only provides important health benefits, but also provides children you opportunities to learn through movement.

According to that manual, interjecting opportunities for movement in your day maintains and improves the condition of your current and future physical, emotional and mental health. Sitting lowers your metabolism, thus exacerbating feelings of low energy … in all of your dimensions. Just standing from a sitting position doubles your metabolic rate! Physical movement activates the brain and enhances learning. These movements “switch on” the natural brain integration mechanisms that “switch off” when you are under stress. Switching them back on through movement helps combat the very stresses that switched them off in the first place. Therefore, movement may well be life’s simplest stress buster!

While this is fundamental knowledge for teaching children, it’s just as important for you to know this as an adult self-learner. Besides, as an adult, the harsh reality is that you have less time left to “get it right.” Movement is vital for all ages and brings about rapid, far-reaching and lasting changes in fundamental abilities, including: focus, organization, comprehension, physical coordination, social and communication skills, memory, attentiveness, etc. If the movement includes something a bit more strenuous then there are significant physical benefits, such as: improved sleep and prevention of fatigue, physical fitness and a boosted immune system, and a re-energized sex life. Different movements have different types of benefits (aerobic, stretching, strength training, yoga, Tai Chi, to name a few).

Let’s take the discussion of sitting a bit further. Two 2011 studies shed new sobering light on some negative aspects of sitting:

• the American Cancer Society, who looked at more than 120,000 people over a 14-year period, revealed that women who sit for more than 6 hrs/day were 40% more likely to die during the course of the study than those who sat fewer than 3 hrs/day (men were 20% more likely to die)
• the American Journal of Epidemiology published a study finding that those who worked a sedentary job have almost twice the risk of a specific type of colon cancer

Obviously, you need to sit. However, you should minimize it when and where possible. Sitting too much or for too long is clearly bad for your health … both short-term and long-term. It will take a purpose-called vigilant mind to keep you on your toes (or at least … off your bottom).

So, as O.N.J. used to sing … this week, “let’s get physical.”

BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT YOUR MOVEMENT – when you stay in one position or place for too long, you feel physical stress. Don’t believe this? Just sit on a plane for 8 hours … you’ll believe it! Lack of movement can add to fatigue and tense muscles, and can contribute to headaches and other pain. As well, your emotions will start becoming compromised. When you have to deal with a stressor (such as: work, a difficult person, the environment, your own negative thinking, etc.), you will also feel physical and mental stress. Physical exercise or movement helps manage it. Practice maintaining an intentional plan of intermittent movement throughout the day; it is one of the key ingredients in a recipe for holistic fitness. This leads me to suggest a

PRIME DIRECTIVE for MOVEMENT

Stimulate your body in the most powerful way you can:  MOVE!

If you need something a bit more prescriptive, then try on these self-imposed rules:

LETHARGY RULE
Once each day, when you feel the most lethargic (“I don’t feel like moving”), override the feeling with pure intention, and get up and move around for at least 2-3 minutes.

90-MINUTE RULE
Never sit for longer than 90 minutes without taking a 2-5 minute walking / movement break (whether at home, work, in the car or on a plane).

2/3-FLOOR RULE
Never take an elevator up 2 floors or down 3 … always walk it. (every year add 1 floor to each of these numbers).

1-KM RULE
Never drive if you can walk it in 10-15 minutes or less (average time to walk 1 km). Note: this will be the hardest rule to implement if you have a car because you likely think your time is more valuable than most other things. Just consider it.

I hope to see you back next Monday.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

FRESH START EMOTIONALLY: De-cluttering

Happy New Year Viphilus*

I don’t know whether or not you are a New Year’s resolution kinda person or not. Even those who aren’t still often see January as an opportunity to get a fresh start. Whether or not that is you, I invite you to join me for a one month fresh-start throughout January.

This week I want to talk about DE-CLUTTERING.

(ironically …. I no sooner typed the line that you just read when I got my weekly e-flyer from Staples promoting their Storage Event to help everyone “Conquer the Clutter”)  

The battle against clutter is a battle against disorganization, frustration and chaos. Most people, however, discern neither the real root problem nor the underlying root cause. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me back up a bit first.

Clutter is something that Deb and I have struggled with our entire married life. Like all married couples we each bring strengths and weaknesses to our partnership. One of Deb’s weaknesses is her propensity to be disorderly and disorganized. One of my strengths is to be orderly and organized. [we won’t discuss my faults right now … other than my struggle with the pot & kettle thing – please chuckle at least at that]. One the surface of things this should mean that my strength should help offset her weakness and I can help her.  Ha ha ha ha ha      If life were only that simple.  We are actually MUCH better at the clutter/chaos thing now than we have ever been, but it took things like being empty-nesters, my retirement, trying to sell our house for over a year, entertaining guests once or twice each week (etc.) to enable or force us to keep our home organized. It has also taken some more extreme measures, like doing two huge purges over the last 15 years; once we had professional junk movers haul away 7,000 lbs of STUFF … and another occasion, Deb’s ladies’ group from church did a gentle intervention and just showed up for an entire day to help us purge (pictured below).

Why did I tell you all that? To display my/our experience with the power that clutter can have over you to weigh you down emotionally. Clutter is the sign of a dysfunctional mind and WILL create anxiety. Bottom line: I know what I’m talking about.

Oh … and to get back to the pot calling the kettle black … my propensity for being organized and orderly has greyed out over the years and I have become more like Deb. For years I blamed her for that, but that was just me playing the victim. I mean, there’s no way that I was prepared to blame myself for devolving to her dysfunctional ways, so it had to be “her fault.”  Ha ha ha ha    Man, I was so immature back then. Nope, my devolution was my own doing … I got lazy.   But the happy news is that we are way better now, but we are still a work in progress. What I’d like to share today is what we’ve learned about this: TOGETHER.

We see people all around us are crying out for order and harmony and balance in their lives because they recognize that chaos is ruling and ruining them. Feng shui schools have become all the rage to teach us Westerners the ancient Chinese practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with our environment. Why? Because proponents claim that feng shui has an effect on health, wealth, and personal relationships; and you know what … there is something to this. Organizations to help us organize and de-clutter our lives have become very popular and successful and they can give us some valuable tips. [For a couple of good examples, check out www.lifeorganizers.com  and  www.clutterbusters.ca.]

The root problem is hurry-sickness (I touched briefly on this last March 23 when discussing the results of hurry-sickness); many people feel that they have neither the time nor the energy to maintain an orderly home or workspace. But those excuses are simply the result of living a hurried life (not to be confused with a busy life). And the underlying root cause of hurry-sickness? A disordered and disintegrated heart. That’s why psychologists list clutter as an emotional disorder … a mental illness. Therefore, our battle is not against clutter … the real battle is to order and integrate the heart. Our emotional well-being is integral (part of the integrated whole) to a fully functioning character … and ignoring our emotional side (heart) will lead to the disintegration of our character.

Your actions follow your heart, but as Aristotle pointed out, your heart also follows your actions: “You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.” You must train your mind, heart, body and spirit through simple actions … as simple as de-cluttering.  In order to beat clutter in  your life, you need simple actions that you blindly obey. Deb and I offer the following to you as a first step ... but maybe you can think about it as a prime directive: a Prime Directive regarding clutter.

Cease setting things down in places that are not their home

Your clutter is simply one reflection of the disordered state of your heart and mind. Clutter around you also feeds back into your mind and heart and opens the door for further disorderliness, but on a deeper level. The following habits are easy-to-practice actions, which, when they become fully-grown into life-habits, have the power to initiate other, more significant habits of orderliness. 

4 RITUALS for DECLUTTERING

DECLUTTERING HABIT # 1

At the end of each day – set aside 5 minutes to declutter / tidy

DECLUTTERING HABIT # 2

Once a week – change your daily 5 minutes into 15 to tidy what your daily rituals missed

DECLUTTERING HABIT # 3

Once a month – change your weekly 15 minutes into 45 to tidy what your weekly rituals missed

DECLUTTERING HABIT # 4

Once a year – take a day to exorcise the excess from your house and plan a better organizational strategy for your “things”

Don’t underestimate the value of these 4 actions, along with the prime directive, in your personal development and training.

I hope to see you back next Monday.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"