Monday, July 19, 2010

Keep Yourself Well Tuned

“We can determine our optimum speed of living by trying various speeds and finding out which one is most agreeable.”

Hans Selye

I’ve been thinking . . . about what it takes to be at your ultimate level of performance, ready to capitalize on every opportunity that comes your way. How can you keep yourself well tuned to make sure you are always ready to maximize the value of each day?

How often do you service your car? The truth is many people regularly take better care of their car than of themselves. A scheduled oil change, grease job, and check of belts and filters will reduce the risk of an unexpected breakdown at an inopportune time.

When one of those little red lights starts flashing on the dashboard we are immediately aware that something isn’t right. Rarely do we hesitate to seek the advice of an expert who can help us eliminate the cause of that warning signal.

What about those tension headaches, uncontrollable mood swings, irritability, impatience, ulcers, and the like? They are your body’s red lights and signal that you are in need of specialized attention.

The Hopi Indians had an interesting word for which we have no equivalent in the English language -- koyaanisquatsi. The word is translated “life out of balance.” The Hopis are committed to living their lives in balance and remaining free from the dreaded condition known as koyaanisquatsi. This Hopi insight corresponds to our present day burnout, anxiety, stress, fatigue. At the heart of it all is the need to keep our lives well tuned.

Although I can lay no claim to fame on being a well tuned machine, here a few things I’ve noticed about those who are.

Learn to relax. A Time/CNN poll found that more than 66 percent of us would like to “slow down and live a more relaxed life,” in contrast to only 19 percent who say they would like to “live a more exciting, faster-paced life.”

Yet, there are those who say, “I don’t have time to relax.” Consider the words of Sydney Harris who said, “The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” You work hard. You play hard. Sometimes you need to relax easy. Each of us is granted a certain number of units of energy to use each day. They cannot be carried over to the next day nor can you borrow from tomorrow. Be careful to invest yourself to burn the allotted energy.

I’m reminded of the lady stressed to the maximum with her three young children. She called the local taxi cab company who arrived shortly. She and her children went out to the vehicle. She strapped her children in the back seat and asked the driver to wait for her. Twenty minutes later she came out of the house and began removing her children from the car. “What are doing?” the driver queried. “I thought you called for a taxi.”

“I did,” the lady replied. “Thank you for coming and entertaining my children. I just needed some time for myself to relax.

Secondly, we never outgrow our need for recess. I can still recall those times when kickball, hopscotch, or an invigorating game of tag relieved the pressure of spelling tests, math drills, and history lessons.

Pick an exercise you enjoy. Make an appointment with yourself three times a week (minimum) to indulge for the pure joy of it. Exercise in surroundings you enjoy and pull up your favorite tunes to provide a little entertainment.

Maybe you feel a bit like Bill Cosby who reflected: “Every morning I get up and my mind sends a message to my body. It says: “Do ‘50 ’knee bends, ‘100’ push-ups and run ‘16’ miles. And every morning my body sends a message right back to my mind. It says: “Who? Me?”

Be reasonable with yourself. You’ll never feel like exercising less than when you need it most -- but do it anyway.

Build an energy reserve. We must get smarter about what we eat. Add fiber, fish, poultry, fresh fruit, and vegetables to your lifestyle buffet. Reduce the sugar, salt, and fatty food intake. Avoid self medication. You don’t have to be a health fanatic to build an energy reserve but you do need to evaluate the wisdom of your intake.

As Richard Armour believed, “When it comes to eating, you can sometimes help yourself more by helping yourself less.” Of course, the Muppets, Miss Piggy looked at things a little differently. She thought “The important question is how long you should go without exercising before eating.” Rather than being consumed with your eating, be moderate about what you consume.

Recognize and accept your limits. The cartoon said it all. Beneath a picture of a frustrated young man is this caption: “God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I’m so far behind I will never die.”

When you feel the world closing in on you, evaluate the expectations you’ve placed on your life. Eliminate unrealistic goals. Dreams, goals, and ambitions are fabulous motivators, UNLESS we set ourselves up attempting to achieve the impossible.

Refrain from perfectionism. This self-imposed condition is impossible to attain and ultimately sets us up to deal with unavoidable failure. “Why have kitchen floors you can eat off of when everyone prefers a table?” is a marvelous philosophy for the perfectionists of this world to ponder.

Admit you can’t do everything. Accept the fact that what you can do probably won’t be perfect but can be done to the best of your ability. Recognizing and accepting your limits will ward off the flashing red lights of feeling overworked, inadequate, and afraid of failure. It’s amazing what a little preventive adjustment will accomplish.

Find a release. Dr. Carl Menninger advised people whose lives were out of balance and stressed to “Find someone you can talk to who is non-judgmental.”

We all need that person who will accept us as we are, listen to our venting, and are willing to support us through the various trials we encounter. When you find that person, treat them carefully. They are as valuable to you as the earth’s finest commodity.

I can still vividly recall the White Rabbit in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. He was always racing here and there, talking nonstop about how late he was and yet making very little progress. Well, as I watch people today, we’ve all become White Rabbits, dashing around trying to do more in less time; mindful of the impact this lifestyle has but doing little to remedy the situation.

To fully enjoy the present moment, we need to look ahead with positive anticipation and keep our lives in perspective. We would do well to:

** Learn how to relax
** Go out for recess
** Build an energy reserve
** Recognize and accept our limits
** Find someone who will serve as our release valve.

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”

Sir J. Lubbock

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

“Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment.”

Dr. Viktor Frankl

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about a recent conversation with someone who wasn’t sure they were in the right career. Their level of discontentment and unhappiness with life was troubling. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Gilford Highet in The Art of Teaching recalls the provocative and humorous story of the famous orchestra conductor Toscanini who once arrived on tour in a new city and took over an orchestra he had never conducted before. He started conducting and after a minute or two noticed that the first violin player looked odd. He was playing well enough, but his face was all distorted, and when he turned a page of the score, he grimaced as though he were in great pain.

Toscanini stopped the orchestra and said, “Concert-master! Are you ill?” The first violin’s face at once returned to normal.

“No, thank you,” he said, “I’m quite all right maestro. Please go on.”

“Very well, if you’re sure you’re fit,” Toscanini said. “Begin at D, please musicians.” And off they went again. But the next time Toscanini glanced at the first violin, he saw him looking worse than ever. His face was all drawn up to one side, his teeth were showing between wolfish lips, his brow was furrowed with deep clefts; he was sweating painfully, and breathing hard.

“One moment, please. Concert-master, you really look ill. Do you want to go home?”

“No, no, no Mr. Toscanini, please go ahead.”

“But I insist,” said Toscanini. “What’s wrong, are you having an attack, would you like to lie down awhile?”

“No, I’m not ill,” said the first violin.

“Well, what on earth is the matter?” said Toscanini. “You look awful, you have been making the most agonizing faces, you’re obviously suffering . . .”

“To be quite frank,” said the first violin, “I hate music.”

Imagine playing in an orchestra and not loving music. How absurd. Yet, everyday people are involved in jobs they don’t enjoy. Still others are engrossed in careers they don’t want. Work becomes an irritating necessity that strips them of professional adventure and satisfaction.

Remember as children how we sang over and over again the words of the famous song Row, Row, Row Your Boat? Let me refresh your memory:

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.

These lyrics contain a powerful message. Row, row, row whose boat? That’s right . . . YOUR boat. Not someone else’s boat or the boat someone told you to row. What boat (career) do you want to be in? Quite simply, if you hate music, then playing in the orchestra will not make work a dream. A nightmare would be more like it.

“Each one of us has some kind of vocation,” said Thomas Merton. “We are called by God to share in His life and in His kingdom. Each one of us is called to a special place in the kingdom. If we find that place we will be happy. If we do not find it, we can never be completely happy.”

Do you love your vocation? Do you go home from work feeling fulfilled and satisfied? Do you begin each day looking forward to the challenges awaiting you? Is there a sense of peace about this being the job you were specifically chosen to do?

If you answer “yes” to these questions, the chances are good you are rowing your boat, doing what you choose and love to do. If, on the other hand, you immediately answered “no,” I assure you, a better fit between you and what you do is possible.

Find your passion. Clarify what’s important to you. Never mind attempting to be like someone else. Know who you are and what you have a burning desire to do. Move in the direction of your niche and enjoy the journey as much as the ultimate destination. Begin rowing YOUR boat today and experience the achievement and satisfaction reserved for you.

“Many business people have mourned the death of the work ethic in America. But few of us have applauded the logic of the new value taking its place” ‘Work should be fun.’ That outrageous assertion is the value that fuels the most productive people and companies in this country.”

John Naisbitt