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